{"product_id":"the-nutcracker-mice-9781536215762","title":"The Nutcracker Mice","description":"\u003cb\u003eA young mouse must save her production of \u003ci\u003eThe Nutcracker\u003c\/i\u003e in a charming holiday tale from the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Gingerbread Pirates\u003c\/i\u003e and the illustrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHidden in Saint Petersburg's famed Mariinsky Theater are the world's tiniest ballet fans: the Mariinsky mice, including Esmeralda, a rising dancer in the Russian Mouse Ballet Company. Despite being unable to control her tail, Esmeralda has just been assigned the lead role of Clara in a ballet debuting at Christmas: \u003ci\u003eThe Nutcracker. \u003c\/i\u003eBut when she learns that the new ballet features mice as villains, her excitement turns to horror: the mice of Saint Petersburg will never come to see such a production. Meanwhile, nine-year-old Irina is convinced that the mice she's seen in the Mariinsky -- the mice her father, the custodian, is supposed to exterminate -- are not only fans of the ballet, but dancers themselves. No one will believe her, so it falls to Irina to help save the mice everyone else considers vermin . . . and perhaps to help Esmeralda ensure the future of the mouse company. Sweet and inventive, Kristin Kladstrup's ballet fantasy features artwork by beloved illustrator Brett Helquist, old-fashioned drama, and just a touch of holiday magic.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eKristin Kladstrup\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of the middle-grade novels \u003ci\u003eThe Book of Story Beginnings \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eGarden Princess, \u003c\/i\u003e as well as the picture book \u003ci\u003eThe Gingerbread Pirates. \u003c\/i\u003eShe lives in Watertown, Massachusetts. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eBrett Helquist\u003c\/b\u003e has illustrated numerous books for children, including \u003ci\u003eChasing Vermeer \u003c\/i\u003eand its sequels by Blue Balliett and \u003ci\u003eMartina \u0026amp; Chrissie: The Greatest Rivalry in the History of Sports \u003c\/i\u003eby Phil Bildner. Brett Helquist lives in New York.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Candlewick Press (MA)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50478243545362,"sku":"9781536215762","price":6.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_6748a9fe-4e91-45b7-bd43-b17189de8265.jpg?v=1730291923","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-nutcracker-mice-9781536215762","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}