[Starred Review] Gr 6-10--A novel written with a light touch, blending inner-city adventure with family and peer relationships. Diminutive Frederick, 14 and known as the Mouse, punctuates his tale of the search for hidden 1930s gangland treasure with rap verses and phrases. ... When he is not searching for treasure, Mouse is sorting out his feelings for his once estranged father, his amorous, unpredictable girlfriend, and his sometimes aloof friend, Styx. Myers' style is sure to win readers, as is his story about quick-thinking, fast-talking Mouse, whose banter reveals both independence and vulnerability. An upbeat, entertaining tale.

(Ages 10 to 14) ... Rap music owns the streets of New York. ... In "The Mouse Rap," Walter Dean Myers tries to capture that undeniable urban beat through the words of his narrator, a Harlem teen-ager nicknamed Mouse. ... the book is filled with a sweet good humor. The Mouse (real name: Frederick Douglas) is 14 years old and just out of school for the summer. ... His friend Sheri cons him and his main man, Styx, into entering a dance contest. Beverly, the foxy new girl in the neighborhood... seems to want a Mouse for her very own. And Sheri's grandfather, who used to know a mobster named Tiger Moran, may help the kids search for the dead crook's hidden loot. ... [The book] presents not only an endearing protagonist but also a loving portrait of Harlem, complete with comic street scenes and delightful street people. ...

[Starred Review] Mouse is a nice, bright 14-year-old.... Mouse is also interested in gifts--but not enough to threaten his long-term friendship with buddy Styx, who is as tall as Mouse is short. During an eventful Harlem summer, the two are involved in a treasure hunt: the grandfather of one of the girls in their group knows another old codger who knows a kid in Queens whose grandmother once showed him where a gangster hid his loot. ... Introducing each chapter with a dozen or so lines of rap, Myers uses its musical devices to splendid advantage in Mouse's narrative. Puns, rhythms, and glancing humore enrich a text that would have intrigued James Joyce with its inspired use of sound and allusion. ... A beautifully written, thoroughly entertaining caper; an impressive addition to Myers' already impressive Oeuvre.

The experiences of a group of Harlem teenagers come alive through Myers's use of their rhythmic vernacular. Mouse, 14, spends the summer playing basketball, preparing for a dance contest and--together with his pals--searching for a gangster's hidden loot.... Imbued by Myers with depth, credibility and a keen sense of humor, Mouse lends a strong narrative voice to this highly entertaining novel, which vividly captures the sights and sounds of a Harlem summer. Ages 10-14.