"A roller coaster of a book loaded with mayhem, wordplay, burps and farts, and onomatopoeia that will keep readers tuned in and laughing out loud." — Publishers Weekly (starred review) Who knew delivering the mail could be so perilous? A silly, mischievous story of independence, self-confidence, bravery, and friendship. Just because you’re small doesn’t mean you can’t be brave. That’s the advice Great-Aunt Ada gives Marty Moose for his first day on the job as a mailmouse for the Little Ditch Post Office. With his mailbag in hand, Marty is ready to follow in her footsteps, but filling them proves difficult even with the help of a scrappy and energetic bunny named Nibbles. When a pair of pesky neighbors prevents him from delivering his last package, Marty and his new friend Nibbles must figure out together how to finish the job, even if that means breaking the rules. With lively, funny, and characterful illustrations and a charming narrative voice, this series first is just right for newly confident readers. [A] cozy chapter book series opener. . . .It’s a roller coaster of a book loaded with mayhem, wordplay, burps and farts, and onomatopoeia that will keep readers tuned in and laughing out loud. —Publishers Weekly (starred review) Fans of Geronimo Stilton, The Bad Guys, and “Captain Underpants” will love this lovable and silly tale of a cheese-hating mouse’s first day of work. Powell’s ­illustrations match perfectly with the text; this would be a great addition to any library’s early chapter book collection. —School Library Journal Powell’s expressive and cartoonish line drawings also bring to life both Marty’s own emotional roller coaster and the chaos his adventures unleash. Postal pranks and mailroom mischief make for a series starter worth writing home about. —Kirkus Reviews The splendidly eccentric story is populated with memorable characters and delightful descriptions, and Marty’s slew of emphatic exclamations beg to be shouted aloud. . . . A wonderfully wacky tale of courage and camaraderie that really delivers. —Booklist Claire Powell is a children’s book maker, character designer, and illustrator. This is her authorial debut. Her collaborations with Beth Lincoln, Kes Gray, and Simon Farnaby were all bestsellers, and she has also illustrated books for Dermot O’Leary, Jeanne Willis, Peter Bently, and Michelle Robinson. Claire Powell lives in Derbyshire, England. Prologue: Mailbag Mischief It was late in Little Ditch when a door in the post office opened, just a crack. A long whiskery snout poked through and sniffed the air SNIFF SNIFF The room smelled empty, so the snout—which was attached to a hairy body with a long pink tail—stepped inside. Two hairy feet with uncut claws TIP TAPPED across the wooden floor. TIP TAP TIP TAP The feet crept over to a mailbag in the corner of the room. The bag was stuffed full of packages and letters that had been sorted earlier in the day. Quick as a whisker, a hairy paw dropped two more packages into the bag. Then the hairy feet TIP TAPPED TIP TAP TIP TAP across the wooden floor, through the door, and disappeared into the night . . . An act of first-class mailbag mischief had just been committed. Chapter One: Don't Lose A Whisker Marty’s BIG day was finally here! He was about to start his first-ever job, as Mailmouse of Little Ditch. He had to report to the post office in Thorny Thickett at 8 a.m. sharp. If you’ve never been, Thorny Thickett is up over Mount Pheasant, past Badger’s Bog, under Creepy Willow, and right Round-the-Bend. If you end up in Foggy Forest, you’ve gone too far—and you’ll want to get out QUICK! Marty was prepared. He had practiced his whistle, ironed his uniform, and combed his whiskers. He had polished his buttons so well that he could see his reflection in them. Even so, his belly was filled with jitters. Then it rumbled. Ravenous rascals! Marty thought. I must be hungry! Marty scampered toward the kitchen but came to a stop in front of a portrait of his great-aunt Ada. She was known as the GREATEST MAILMOUSE WHO EVER LIVED after she was carried off by an owl on Christmas Eve, stuffed into a pie, and almost cooked at 350 degrees for 90 minutes. A well-timed power outage had allowed her to escape, and she’d still delivered her Christmas cards with time to spare for a slice of blueberry pie. Marty took a deep breath. “Ooh, whimpering whistles! I hope I’m as good as you were, Great-Aunt Ada.” Marty had a small family (by mouse standards): twenty-seven brothers, eleven sisters, nine aunts (some great, some not so great), fourteen uncles (three others had unfortunately been swallowed whole by a cat named Wiggles), two grandmothers, three grandfathers, approximately 142 cousins (exact number unknown), one mother, and one father. Only his great-aunt Ada had ever been a mailmouse, though. Until she’d hung up her mailbag last year and retired to Snoring-on-Sea. And today it was Marty’s turn. Breakfast in Marty’