Mitzi Meyer: Fearless Warrior Queen

by Marilyn Singer

Mitzi Meyer is a mouse. She's afraid of doctor's shots, worms, heights - everything! Mitzi secretly dreams of being brave, just like the the warrior queen in the painting at the museum. If Mitzi were a queen, no one would DARE tease her about being a scaredy cat.

Then Mitzi visits Madame Blini, who can see into the past. Madame Blini gives her some startling news: Mitzi was a warrior queen..... in another life!

Mitzi can't wait to tell her friends. And she can't wait to be treated like a queen. The only trouble is, now she'll have to start acting brave. Can she turn herself from a mouse into a hero?

Paperback

Published January 1, 1987

About the author

Marilyn Singer was born in the Bronx (New York City) on October 3, 1948 and lived most of her early life in N. Massapequa (Long Island), NY. She attended Queens College, City University of New York, and for her junior year, Reading University, England. She holds a B.A. in English from Queens and an M.A. in Communications from New York University.

In 1974, after teaching English in New York City high schools for several years, she began to write - initially film notes, catalogues, teacher's guides and film strips. Then, one day, when she was sitting in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, she penned a story featuring talking insect characters she'd made up when she was eight. Encouraged by the responses she got, she wrote more stories and in 1976 her first book, The Dog Who Insisted He Wasn't, was published by E.P.Dutton & Co.

Since then, Marilyn has published over seventy books for children and young adults. Her genres are many and varied, including realistic novels, fantasies, non-fiction, fairy tales, picture books, mysteries and poetry. She likes writing many different kinds of books because it's challenging and it keeps her from getting bored. She has won several Children's Choice and Parents' Choice Awards, as well as the following: the Creature Carnival, Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book, 2005; I Believe in Water: Twelve Brushes with Religion, New York Public Library's "Best Books for the Teen Age," 2001; Stay True: Short Stories for Strong Girls, Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, 2000 (YALSA); On the Same Day in March, Booklist's Top Ten Science Books of 2000; NCSS-CBC Notable Book, 2000; Deal with a Ghost, finalist, YA category, Edgar Award, 1998; It Can't Hurt Forever, Maud Hart Lovelace Award, 1983; The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 1983; Turtle in July, NCTE Notable, N.Y.Times Best Illustrated and Time Magazine Best Children's Books of 1989; Turtle in July was also a Reading Rainbow review book.

Marilyn currently lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband Steve; their standard poodle Oggi, a cousin of their beloved and recently departed poodle Easy, seen in the home page photo; a cat named August ; two collared doves named Jubilee and Holiday; and a starling named Darling. Her interests include dog training, reading, hiking, bird-watching, gardening, meditation, playing computer adventure games and going to the movies and the theatre. She's also a major Star Trek fan.

Reviews

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very memorable even after 35 years! I absolutely loved it as a young girl!

[Kidlitter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another late eighties that went below my radar but that I'd heard good things about, so went the old Apple paperback crossed my path, I pulled a Madame Blini and accepted my fate to read the book. Singer was a fun, punchy writer that seems out of a Time Machine now - children wandering along into museums and parks, signing themselves up for activities, being influenced by paintings to behave differently - most of all, very little parental or adult involvement in any of it while the kids work it out for themselves. For that alone, I enjoyed it, but also it's consistent message that you can change something you don't like about yourself and to hang to your best friends while you go about it. If you know a ten year old struggling with self-image, this is a good pick.

[Josephine (biblioseph) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute, for an elementary school read. Good enough with it's morals, the world it depicts is no longer currant. How many kids, today, look to epic paintings as idols? And a pawn shop, it is very much for the 80s and 90s. If you can handle something longer, go for something a little more timeless, like Kate DiCamillo.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to read this one over and over. I felt sorry for Mitzi but at the same time I wanted to yell "Stop being such a scaredy cat!"

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

its amazing to read this book in 2012 when it was written in 1987. the things the author has Mitzi do like walk away from school or go to a pawn shop gives me chills!! cute book!!