* Young Fredle by Cynthia Voigt; illus. by Louise Yates Intermediate Knopf 225 pp. 1/11 978-0-375-86457-5 $16.99 Libraryed. 978-0-375-96457-2 $19.99 g

Fredle the house mouse makes a small mistake and finds himself banished to the great outdoors. He longs for home, but it takes an extended mouse odyssey before he returns there. From his very first experience of the wider world, the "not-floor" that is the earth, he is mystified, frightened, awed, and energized. As in any epic, he encounters dangers, sees wonders, is aided by strangers, learns new skills, survives a dark night of the soul, and returns home changed. The supporting cast is delicious: Sadie the kindly and dim-witted pet dog, Bardo the know-it-all field mouse, the ruffian fratboy raccoons. We've known them all in their human forms. So too do we recognize the emotions: the pain of betrayal, the undulating nature of loneliness, the poignancy of outgrowing your family. The adventures are gripping and mouse-plausible. A mouse-eye view of our world holds the fascination of the miniature. The language is spare and wry. When a sick, injured, or aged mouse is banished from the nest, the state they go to is called "went." Raccoons refer to the stars as "moonbits" and have a legend to explain them. This is a writer at the top of her form, warm without sentimentality, wise without pretension. The territory here lies alongside Charlottes Web, The Borrowers, and Watership Down, but it is a country all its own. sarah ellis