Basil in Mexico
By Eve Titus and Paul Galdone
4/5
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About this ebook
Basil—the famous sleuth of mousedom—has learned a great deal living in Sherlock Holmes’s cellar. Now, his sleuthing skills are being put to the test on a wild trip to Mexico! First, mousedom becomes frantic as mice are cracking their teeth on phony cheese made of concrete. Can he find a way to stop whoever is making the counterfeit cheese? Then, he must ferret out the truth when a beloved masterpiece—the Mousa Lisa—goes missing. And finally, Basil must track down the culprit when Dr. Dawson, Basil’s faithful friend and companion, is mousenapped! In each of these daring adventures, Basil proves himself to be a true disciple of his hero, Sherlock Holmes!
Eve Titus
Eve Titus (1905–2002) wrote many books for children during her long career, including the Basil of Baker Street books and the Anatole series.
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Reviews for Basil in Mexico
19 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Although this series is fun and entertaining, this one cleverly introduces some thoughtful concepts and facts. It has instances of compassion for the guilty, equal rights (for female mice), and thoughtfulness for those less fortunate. Performed by Ralph Lister, this series, though intended for children, can be enjoyed by all ages.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I'm not really sure why I persist in finishing the Basil series; I don't find it particularly cute or engaging. In this one, Basil and Dawson travel to Mexico in order to find a piece of stolen art. But first, Basil must solve the mystery of a bunch of mice with broken teeth and dentists with kidnapped children. All of that gruesome nonsense is dispatched with in the first 2 chapters, then it's off to Mexico. Basil solves the mystery of the stolen Mousa Lisa (the museum director did it), but then gets embroiled in a coup attempt by a Prof. Ratigan and El Bruto, a dictator. Blah blah blah. Lots of weird plot points all mashed together in a 96-page book. I didn't hate it or anything, I think I am just bored of Basil. Also, I think just one of those plot threads would have sufficed for the book.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is one of the sweetest and most cleverly-written pastiches I've ever seen. Basil aspires to be the mouse version of his hero, Sherlock Holmes, and the self-aware nature of the story works beautifully, making it especially cute when Basil and Holmes contrast (Basil laps up the attention, heartily approves of Dawson's stories, and plays the violin very badly). The story's real strength lies in its writing, however; the prose is simple and even lyrical in places, and it repeatedly borrows phrases directly out of the Holmes stories themselves, adapted to suit the mice - Dawson refers to Basil as "the best and wisest mouse [he'd] ever known", while chapter 11 begins, "It is with a heavy heart that I... take pen in paw to write these lines." Aside from training up a new generation of Holmes fans, it's surprisingly educational in other ways as well, with a scattering of Spanish vocabulary and an argument between Basil and the wife of the Mexican mouse president about women's rights and famous women in history. The story is quite interesting for a children's mystery, and even adult readers are likely to find it charming, Holmes fans or not.
Book preview
Basil in Mexico - Eve Titus
1
BASIL THE BRILLIANT
WHO HAS NOT HEARD OF Sherlock Holmes? men hail him as the master detective of all time.
Mice proudly hail their own super-sleuth, Basil of Baker Street. No case is too difficult or too dangerous for this daring detective, and criminals cringe at the sound of his name.
I am Dr. David Q. Dawson, and Basil and I lodge at Baker Street, number 221B, which is also the address of Mr. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson. The men dwell abovestairs and the mice belowstairs, in the cellar community of Holmestead, so named by Basil.
My friend learns his detective lore by listening at his hero’s feet when scientific sleuthing is discussed. He takes many notes in shortpaw, hidden behind a chair leg. You may ask—does Sherlock spy him? I think he does, and is charmed by his wee imitator in the deerstalker cap.
To give you an example of my friend’s genius, I shall describe how he solved a case in a few short hours, a case that had baffled Mouseland Yard detectives for weeks.
On a crisp October morning in the year 1894, Mrs. Judson served our breakfast. We were to sail at midnight on a secret mission to Mexico.
Basil had a second helping of cheese soufflé.
My dear mousekeeper,
said he, tomorrow we breakfast at sea. We’ll miss your excellent cooking, and your good self as well.
Sure, and I’ll be missing ye both. The Mexican mouse president himself wrote the letter sending for ye. ’Tis a great honor, Mr. Basil!
Nodding, he scanned the Mouse Times.
Dawson, the Case of the Counterfeit Cheese is still unsolved! Hundreds of mice with broken teeth crowd into dentists’ waiting rooms. The fake cheeses look and smell like real cheeses. Mice sniff them in dark passageways and gnaw away. Their reward? The ghastly sound of breaking teeth! There are no clues. Policemice remove the counterfeits, but others appear. Do you recall the Case of the Lost Colony, and the golden hill of cheese with a deadly mousetrap concealed inside?
I shuddered. But for your warning, I’d have perished! That evil device was invented by Professor Ratigan, leader of London’s mouse underworld. Is this another of his schemes? However, it seems to me that only dentists would profit. I saw my dentist last week. Dr. Tuchman’s office was jammed! I joked, told him he’d make millions, but he didn’t even smile, and his paws kept twitching and trembling.
Hmmm. Mrs. Judson, what of your dentist?
Mr. Basil, mine wasn’t happy about the crowds of patients, either. And, if you’ll excuse the expression, he was as nervous as a cat!
My friend looked thoughtful. "My own dentist, Dr. Richardson, is the happy-go-lucky type, but yesterday he was as jumpy as a kangaroo. His paws shook so much that I feared he’d fill the wrong tooth! One nervous dentist might be a coincidence, but—three? Dawson, there must be a reason!"
He leaped up. By Jove! Can it be that—
There was a knock at the door. Mrs. Judson admitted Inspector Hollyer, of the Yard.
Basil, we need your help! Superintendent Bigelow asks you to delay your departure and stay to solve the Case of the Counterfeit Cheese.
Postpone my mission to Mexico? Impossible! However, the case interests me. I’ll do my best to solve it by dark and still make that midnight sailing. Tell me all you know, Inspector.
2
THE CASE OF THE COUNTERFEIT CHEESE
HOLLYER HAD NOTHING NEW TO report, except that Mouseland Yard detectives had questioned every mouse dentist in London, thirty-two in number.
They were all nervous,
he told us. We decided this was due to long hours of overwork, fixing broken teeth far into the night.
Overwork? Stuff and nonsense!
cried Basil. There’s more to it than that. Dawson, kindly pass me the London Mouse Dental Directory.
I fetched the volume from the shelf, and he skimmed the pages, mumbling to himself.
"Hmmm. Richardson, Stanley. Schooling: Spring View, Brierley Preparatory, Rodental College. Married Simone Vernet, son Alex at Brierley. Tuchman, Bernard. Same schools, son Adam at Brierley. St.