Title: The Mouse Thief

Author: Scott M. Madden

Genre: Alternate History / Time Travel

The Mouse Thief is about Professor Peter McLarsen’s time travel journey to the 1920s to steal Mickey Mouse. And once he accomplishes it, he alters the course of history. Then it’s up to Walt Disney himself to head into the future and set things right with Peter.

The plot for this alternate history/time travel novel was quite original and highly imaginative. The chapters alternated from present day with Peter to the past in 1928 with Walt Disney.

Peter is a workaholic college professor with a close relationship with his daughter Zoey, who’s mostly interested in watching Disney movies on TV. He’s sick and tired of hearing the same songs over and over again. This, of all things, inspires Peter to steal Mickey Mouse from Walt Disney.

Peter invents a time machine and uses it to travel to a point in history before Mickey Mouse becomes a household name, swipes the cartoon character from under Disney’s nose, then journeys back to 2018. What Peter didn’t expect was for Disney to discover Peter’s cell phone.

Using the technology for himself, Disney concocts a way to follow Peter to modern times, though it takes him a few years to do this. He’s determined to take his mouse, and his life, back.

When Disney arrives in 2018, he notices how the world has been changed by his cartoons and theme parks. With a phone call, Disney grabs a ride to follow Peter to his home and meets Zoey. While they develop a plan to get Disney back to his own time, he teaches Peter the importance of family over work. It’s a race against time to achieve a happy ending for the both of them.

This novel made the reader wonder what would happen if there were no Disneyland, Disney World, or anything else related to Disney studios. Even with the story’s outlandish premise, there was plenty of humor to enjoy.

This book is an ideal read for families, fans of Disney characters, or anyone who enjoys time travel stories. The story was on the light side of a read, but sometimes it’s nice to take a break from hard-hitting dramas and enjoy a flight of fancy.

The setting was well executed, contrasting between the past and present. The characters felt fleshed-out and developed. While the book performed well, there were a few small issues, such as some notable editing errors and a fair use of passive wording.

Some things could have been made more subtle, such as being told that a character is nervous, rather than being able to draw the conclusion on our own through the character’s mannerisms. Despite these few items, the author has a lot of strengths to rely on.

This alternate history/time travel novel has one of the most unique story ideas we’ve seen in a while. It was well-paced from the first page to the last and took us on a ride we wouldn’t have experienced in any other book. Anyone looking for a story like this should buckle up for a wild ride.

This Editorial Review was written by the Book Review Directory staff. To receive a similarly honest, professional review for one of your own books, click here.