Commander in Cheese #1 Read online

  Read all the Commander in Cheese adventures!

  #1 The Big Move

  #2 Oval Office Escape

  #3 Have a Mice Flight!

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Text copyright © 2016 by Lindsey Leavitt, LLC

  Cover art and interior illustrations copyright © 2016 by A. G. Ford

  Photo permissions: this page president portraits, this page Amelia Earhart and President Coolidge, and this page inaugural address from the collection of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division online at www.loc.org. this page Taft bath © Granger, NYC—All rights reserved. this page Obama © AP Photo/Scott Andrews, Pool. this page moving van © Clinton Presidential Library.

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

  Random House and the colophon are registered trademarks and A Stepping Stone Book and the colophon are trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Leavitt, Lindsey, author. | Ford, AG, illustrator.

  Title: The big move / Lindsey Leavitt ; illustrated by AG Ford.

  Description: New York : Random House, [2016] | Series: Commander in Cheese ; 1 | “A Stepping Stone Book.” | Summary: “Mice siblings who live in the White House prepare for a new president to move in”—Provided by publisher.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2015027161 | ISBN 978-1-101-93112-7 (paperback) | ISBN 978-1-101-93113-4 (hardcover library binding) | ISBN 978-1-101-93114-1 (ebook)

  Subjects: | CYAC: Mice—Fiction. | Brothers and sisters—Fiction. | Presidents—Family—Fiction. | White House (Washington, D.C.)—Fiction. | Humorous stories. |

  BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / Mice, Hamsters, Guinea Pigs, etc. | JUVENILE FICTION / People & Places / United States / General. | JUVENILE FICTION / Humorous Stories.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.L46553 Bi 2016 | DDC [E]—dc23

  LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/​2015027161

  ebook ISBN 9781101931141

  This book has been officially leveled by using the F&P Text Level Gradient™ Leveling System.

  Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

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  Contents

  Cover

  Read All the Commander in Cheese Adventures!

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  The Presidents of the United States

  Mice Are Smart! Three Totally Fun Facts

  Inauguration Day: Present

  Inauguration Day: Past

  Moving Day

  Map

  Excerpt from Oval Office Escape

  To my Brudes: Brett, Zach, and Morgan

  Ava and Dean were like any other sister and brother. They had dance contests. They fought over the last piece of pizza. They read together. Their favorite book was If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. One time, Dean accidentally hit Ava in the nose with a ball.

  Normal sibling stuff.

  If you’re a human, Ava and Dean could fit in your hand. If you’re a mouse, then you might know about Ava and Dean Squeakerton. They are kind of famous, for mice.

  That’s because Ava, Dean, and the rest of their family live in the White House. Yes, THAT White House. Also the home of the president of the United States of America.

  Over forty human presidents have moved in and out of the White House. The Squeakerton family has lived there since 1800, the same year President John Adams moved in. That’s more than two hundred years of mouse memories, stories, and hiding. Lots of hiding.

  If you’re a human, you should also know that mice are very smart animals. Definitely smarter than hippos, but don’t tell any hippos that.

  Mice are a lot like humans.

  They have homes, families, and hobbies.

  They build interesting burrows.

  They squeak beautiful music.

  But humans are busy living their human lives. They don’t notice this whole mouse world happening right by their stinky human feet.

  Until now.

  As a human would say, the cat is out of the bag. (A mouse would never say that, of course. Mice don’t say the c-a-t word unless they are screaming and running away.)

  That means the top-secret information is out. The information that should not be written in a book. If you must blame someone for spilling these secrets, DO NOT blame this book.

  Blame Ava and Dean. They almost blew it for everyone. And of course there was a c-a-t involved in the whole mess….

  Moving day! It’s an exciting and scary day for anyone. But for Ava and Dean Squeakerton, this day was really hard. And it wasn’t even their moving day.

  Today the new president and her family would make the White House their home. Furniture would be moved around. Boxes had to be unpacked, and different food stored in the kitchen.

  The old president moving out and the new president moving in, all within a few short hours!

  “I wish the other candidate won,” Ava said as Dean nibbled on a piece of cheddar cheese. They were sitting at the counter in the mouse kitchen.

  The Squeakerton family lived in secret rooms throughout the house. Some rooms were over seventy years old, burrowed when President Truman redid the White House in 1948.

  The humans had no clue there was a large mouse colony living right beside them. Did I mention mice are smart?

  “You said that guy looked mean,” Dean said.

  “He did. I bet he would have stomped around all the time. He looks like a stomper.” Ava twirled her tail around her finger. “And I do like President Caroline Abbey. She’ll do a good job doing whatever human presidents do. I just wish her kids were grown up already.”

  “I’m glad she has kids. Kids make it more fun,” Dean said. He swallowed his cheese with a loud gulp. He loved cheese. “The boy is seven, just like you, and the girl is nine, just like me. All the other mice think it’s perfect.”

  “If all the other mice jumped off a cliff, would you?” Ava asked.

  “If I was a lemming, I might. Lemmings are followers,” Dean said. “Which is why I’m glad I’m a mouse.”

  Libby, the main mouse cook, hummed a tune as she squeezed past them. She wasn’t very good at humming. Most mice aren’t. “Put the orange juice away when you’re done!” she called.

  Ava sipped her juice from a ChapStick tube. She liked this spot in the kitchen because Libby treated them like normal kids.

  Their dad, Mr. James F. Squeakerton, was in charge of the mice living in the White House. Sort of like the president. Ava and Dean’s great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-(this can take forever—count fifty-seven greats)-grandpa was sort of like a president too. He started a radio broadcast in the White House press room. Humans don’t speak mouse, so it was an excellent way for mice around the country to communicate. The Squeakertons saved many lives by squeaking all sorts of warni
ngs and advice over the years.

  So being a Squeakerton was a big deal in the mouse world. But sometimes a mouse just needed to feel like any other mouse. Being told to put the juice away felt like something any house mouse in America would hear.

  Dean bit into a chunk of bread. The Squeakertons got most of their food from the trash area. You would be surprised how much perfectly good human food was thrown out in the White House.

  “I bet the boy has cool toys,” Dean said.

  “What do you care? It’s not like you’ll ever get to see his toys,” Ava said.

  “Maybe I will,” Dean said. “Maybe I’ll sneak up there today and look at the boy’s room.”

  Ava stopped sipping her juice. “But the boy’s room is on the second floor.”

  There were tunnels that led the animals to their mini rooms. The mice had built rooms into the walls of the White House kitchen, the library, even the Oval Office. The Squeakertons’ bedrooms, classrooms, and living areas were burrowed in the basement.

  But there wasn’t a tunnel to the kids’ rooms. Mice stayed away from the second floor. That was where the president’s family lived. Even mice knew the president needed a private space.

  “I’ll tell Mom if you go,” Ava said.

  “No, you won’t. If you tell Mom about that, I’ll tell her about the time you snuck into the State Dining Room looking for dress beads,” Dean said.

  Ava shook her head. “I found two, and she won’t even care.”

  Libby brushed past them again. “That’s enough cheddar for you, mister.”

  Dean pushed away his plate. He was too excited to eat anyway.

  “We get to see the inauguration today. That’s the event where the new president becomes official,” Ava said. “Most mice would rather see that than look for toys.”

  “We aren’t most mice,” Dean said. He hopped out of his seat. “Think of the Treasure Rooms, Ava. We have bits of things from tons of presidents. It’s a room full of history. But what are we missing?”

  “A statue of a brother who listens to his little sister?” Ava suggested.

  “No. Think of the toy section. The building section. Ava, what if we found…a…a you-know-what?”

  “Don’t say it! We don’t even know if they’re real.”

  “They are,” Dean said. “Ava, I am going on a quest! I will find…a…Lego!”

  “What? A Lego?” Ava glanced around the room to make sure no one was listening. Had her brother gone CRAZY? “That’s not going to happen.”

  “What if we found one? No one has added something that exciting to the Treasure Rooms since George Washington’s ivory teeth. We would be legends!”

  Ava liked adventure. But she didn’t dream about unicorns traveling on rainbows. She did not believe that c-a-t-s were ever nice to mice. That stuff wasn’t real. And since no mouse in the White House had ever seen a Lego, they had no idea if the toy was real.

  “I mean, we probably wouldn’t find a Lego,” Ava said. “But we do have the day off from school. If we wanted to take something, moving day would be a good time to do it.”

  “Right. The kids will think it got lost in the move. We need more toys in the Children’s Collection,” Dean said.

  Ava nodded. “Those green army men get boring after a while.”

  “See?” Dean’s whiskers twitched with excitement. “Aunt Agnes will be so proud that we found something new. Something different.”

  “Aunt Agnes would be excited….” Ava loved surprising her favorite aunt. “I just don’t know if it’s a good idea. There are so many people here. Someone will see.”

  Dean bounced up and down. “I’m going. I bet the boy has a million Legos. I heard you can build all sorts of things. Towers. Mansions. Maybe I will move into a Lego house for a whole night.”

  “You wouldn’t do that,” Ava said.

  Dean shrugged. “Everyone will be so glad we have a Lego in the collection. It’s okay if you don’t come with me. I can bring you a pink one.”

  Ava tugged at her brother’s tail. “Yellow! You know yellow is my favorite color. Ugh, you are just going to mess this up. Fine. I’ll take you up there.”

  Ava loved adventure—she really did. Especially with her brother. Especially if it was for a good cause. Nothing would be more exciting than adding a Lego to the Treasure Rooms. Not even a presidential inauguration could top that. “Now you follow me. I know these tunnels like the back of my claw.”

  Ava took Dean to the Treasure Rooms. The rooms were already full of neat stuff. Ava and Dean wanted to make sure the Lego would have a good spot.

  The Squeakerton family had collected presidential treasures for hundreds of years. They had shoehorns, toothbrushes, and tools. Some of the items were just for looks. Some stuff they used. Ava liked to take a bath in the gravy boat from Jacqueline Kennedy’s china set.

  “A Lego would be much cooler than Lyndon Johnson’s toenail clippers,” Ava said.

  “Should we try to find some other keepsakes because it’s an important day? See if we can get a presidential pin? No one has found a good pin in a while.” Dean pushed one of James Madison’s wooden buttons to the side. Mice are very strong, by the way. They make ants look like puny snails. “Maybe if we got rid of the old scarves—”

  Ava squeaked. “Do not touch the scarves!”

  Ava loved fabric. Any print. Any texture. Lace, tweed, cotton. Lined up in the Treasure Rooms were scraps of clothing from every First Lady. A silver bead from Caroline Harrison’s red evening gown was Ava’s favorite item.

  “Fine,” Dean grumbled. “Let’s head into the Children’s Collection.”

  The Treasure Rooms were a series of rooms that were joined together, sort of like a museum. There was the Grooming and Clothing Collection, where they kept combs and hats. The Stuff We Use Collection was pretty easy to understand. It was the biggest room.

  The Children’s Collection had not been added to in a while. The previous president’s children were grown up. In fact, the only time Ava and Dean had actually seen children was on tours or at holiday events, like the Easter Egg Roll on the White House lawn.

  Ava and Dean grabbed a mousepack hanging from a hook.

  Every mouse had a different job. Some mice were Takers, and they picked up discarded or lost things for the mice to use. Takers always wore a mousepack, just in case they found something useful. Dean and Ava were not Takers, but maybe that would be their job when they grew up.

  Dean pointed to the empty spaces. “If we get one Lego, we can put it there. But what if we find enough to build with?”

  Dean loved to build. He had built all the furniture in their family’s house using odds and ends. He wanted to build a bridge across the National Mall someday.

  “We do not know the size of a Lego,” Ava said. She smoothed out her tail. “Let’s go up there and see first. Maybe there are no Legos.”

  “Maybe there are a million,” Dean said. “But you’re right. We better go now, before someone sees us leave.”

  They scurried out of the Treasure Rooms and ran right into a large mouse. “Just where do you think you’re going?” he asked.

  It was their third cousin Gregory. Of course it was Gregory. Any time Ava and Dean went looking for adventure, Gregory blocked them. He was like their Secret Service agent and nanny.

  “Did I hear you say Lego?” Gregory asked. Gregory wore a black suit and black sunglasses. Gregory was the largest mouse in the house. If he didn’t have such a thin tail, you would think he was a rat.

  Warning: Gregory did not like being called a rat.

  “Lego? No one said Lego,” Dean said. “We said…gego.”

  “He means gecko,” Ava said. She rolled her eyes at her brother. “We heard the president might get a gecko for a pet.”

  There was always a lot of talk about the new president’s pets. The president usually got a dog. If the mice were unlucky, a c-a-t.

  Gregory twitched his nose. “Great. Reptiles. Not safe. Why are you wea
ring mousepacks?”

  Ava shrugged. “In case we find an interesting rock on the roof.”

  “Oh. Okay.” Gregory shook his head. “Look, today is a crazy day, so I’m in charge of you. Please get your coats on. We’re going to watch the inauguration from the roof.”

  “Oh, is it time already?” Dean asked. “Can we be a little late?”

  Gregory held up his claw. “We have a new commander in chief.”

  “Do you mean commander in cheese?” Dean asked.

  Gregory shook his head. “The human president is called our commander in chief. And when a new one starts, it is your duty to be there. This is an important day in history.”

  “Every day is an important day in this house,” Dean grumbled.

  “Don’t worry. The inauguration will be fun, and then we’ll get the Lego,” Ava whispered. “And we will be as quiet as, well, mice.”

  Ava and Dean went up to the roof to watch the inauguration with their family. At least they got to leave the house. Sort of. The only outside places they were allowed to go were the roof and the garden.

  The roof made Ava happy because she loved heights. Her biggest dream was to fly in the sky someday! She didn’t like standing on a ledge and seeing all of Washington, D.C. The city was full of interesting places she would never visit. Today the streets were jammed with cars and people.

  The president and the president-to-be met at the White House for tea before driving together to the ceremony. Tea meant fresh scones, which meant dessert that night for the Squeakertons.

  Inauguration Day happened on January 20 on the west steps of the Capitol Building. There were speeches and music. Then Caroline Abbey would raise her right hand and become the new president.