You’ve heard of the Rescue Rangers. Now meet the Mouse Watch.

An exciting new book series that takes place in the Rescue Rangers universe is just what we need to rescue us from the 4th quarter of 2020. I first heard of The Mouse Watch written by J.J. Gilbert in a D23 article that was published in September. The idea of a story in the same universe as a Disney Afternoon show that I grew up with blew my mind. As a Star Wars fan, I always thought it was great that the Star Wars franchise had the movies and tv series, but it also had excellent comic books and novels that fans could digest that expanded on the Star Wars universe. The Mouse Watch book series will expand on the Disney Afternooniverse.

The Mouse Watch originally had a May 2020 release date. Like most book releases in Spring/Summer this year, the book was delayed until Fall/Winter. The Mouse Watch will officially be released on November 3rd, 2020. Our friends at Disney Books Publishing sent us an advance copy to review.

About the author: J.J. Gilbert has worked in Hollywood for most of his life as a director, animator, producer, and storyboard artist for companies such as Walt Disney Studios, and has been bringing mice (and other creatures) to life for years. He lives in California with his wife and kids. His favorite kind of cheese is Stilton.

My favorite cheese is Provologne.

The Details

In addition to being a member of the Rescue Rangers, Gadget Hackwrench created a spin-off international group of exceptional mice that solve crimes called the Mouse Watch. The Mouse Watch organization resembles Mission Impossible with great technology and inventions used for missions, all developed by Gadget. As the director of the Mouse Watch, she is changing the world for the better. Gadget is mentioned throughout the book. Fellow Rescue Rangers, Chip and Dale, are also mentioned a few times.

Gadget is very famous in the mouse world, but more important than fame, she is an inspiration to mice and small creatures everywhere. One particular mouse that Gadget inspires is a 12 year old mouse with blue hair named Bernadette Skampersky, or Bernie for short. Bernie has all of Gadget’s posters (postage stamps) on her bedroom walls, and she dreams to one day be noticed by Gadget to be recruited to The Mouse Watch. Bernie is small but mighty, and a great main hero character for this story.

If you have a brave hero, you are going to need a sinister villain. An organization called R.A.T.S. (Rogue Animal Thieves Society) is anti Mouse Watch and humans. This is where our main villain, Dr. Thornpaw, comes into play, Dr. Thornpaw is a rat that formely lived in a lab and was mistreated horribly with experimentations by scientists. The intense Dr. Thronpaw wants his revenge on humans, and he turns the tables by experimenting his evil formulas on them. He is a great creepy villain that you will love to hate.

It also seems that all of the mouse worlds are connected. There is a reference to a R.A.T.S. agent infiltrating Buckingham Palace. That has to be Ratigan, right? There are also mentions of the Mouse Watch rescuing a lost child, and in another case they help a condor bird and it’s hatchlings. Could there be a division of Mouse Watch called the Rescue Aid Society? You may have heard about the Rescue Aid Society from Disney’s Rescuers and Rescuers Down Under. Love these references!

Final Thoughts

The Mouse Watch expands on the Disney Afternooniverse with a canon story that takes place within the Rescue Rangers world. That alone should be enough right there to get you to want and need to read the book. Every Rescue Rangers refence in the book made me smile, and it is great to see a fantastic character like Gadget expanded upon with her new inventions and title of director of the Mouse Watch.

This book, even without the Rescue Rangers references, would be a solid read. J.J. Gilbert did a great job of introducing the new characters that will have you invested in their story and root for them. The Mouse Watch was definitely entertaining with a lot of heart. I could see Disney developing a Disney+ series based on the characters of the Mouse Watch books.

The recommended age range for this book is 8-12. Kids and adults will love the book. Like most things that are released for kids, the kids at heart like myself are not going to be able to put the book down. I read this 256 page book in two days, and my schedule is packed. Future books in The Mouse Watch series will be released soon. The Mouse Watch Underwater, which will be book 2 in the series, has already been announced for a tentatively release date next May 4th.

Where to Buy?

The Mouse Watch

Preorder: The Mouse Watch Underwater

*By purchasing from Amazon.com through our affiliate link above you are supporting DuckTalks at no additional cost to yourself!