Helena Cranston has never longed for the sea. In fact, she detests water to the tips of her ladylike whiskers. Newbery winner and National Book Award finalist Richard Peck brings more than a hint of whimsy to his charming Secrets at Sea, a “Borrowers”- like “Upstairs, Downstairs” tale in which the downstairs folk are mice.
But in a plot twist out of Edith Wharton’s “The Buccaneers,” the wealthy Cranstons are traveling to England so that older sister Olive can have her chance at a debut. Old Aunt Fannie scried in her crystal ball (an aggie marble) and said that the sea voyage is the only hope for a better future for boy-crazy Beatrice, out-of-control Lamont, and Louisa.
Once at sea, the downstairs Cranstons attract the attention of the Duchess of Cheddar Gorge, while the upstairs Cranstons just attract attention. Can the mice help their hapless, social-climbing humans before the ship reaches England? “Secrets at Sea” doesn’t have the depth of Peck’s “Grandma Dowdel” stories, but it’s a beguiling, humorous tale that appealed to my rodent-loving son.
One quibble: Having worn a succession of beloved pet rats (they prefer to travel on shoulders, like parrots), I can say with certainty that one is always aware when there is a rodent secreted on one’s person.
