The long awaited sequel to Chester Midshipmouse published on 02/02/21!
Chester Midshipmouse The Second Third, an upper middle grade novel with black and white illustrations by Maggie Vandewalle, is now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, bookshop.org, the Midshipmen Store at the US Naval Academy, US Naval Academy online and the USNA Gift Shop.
The flagship Deluxe Color Illustration hardback edition is ONLY AVAILABLE by special order here on chestermidshipmouse.com and at the Midshipmen Store at the US Naval Academy.
More exciting news to follow!
Author: user
New Illustrator for Chester Midshipmouse The Second Third!
Follow the illustration process for book two—Chester Midshipmouse The Second Third as talented watercolor artist, Maggie Vandewalle, magically brings Chester and his band of rodents to life in a series of color and black and white art images. Maggie combines her amazing ability to paint wildlife (especially mice!) with the whimsical yet realistic details of the noble world of Bancroft Hall.
Rigorous plebe year begins with a heavy class load. Professor Haselmaus’s Propulsion Class puts everyone to the test, and Chester is determined to succeed.
Follow Chester on Facebook for an insider peek at Maggie’s interior art as she illustrates Chester’s exciting story! www.facebook.com/chestermidshipmouse.
Chester’s Public Service Announcment during the Covid 19 pandemic
Life in Bancroft Hall during Coronavirus…
***Originally posted on Facebook @Chester Midshipmouse 3/26/20. Update: The midshipmen at USNA are finishing the semester utilizing distance learning, and very sadly, Commissioning Week has been cancelled. Utmost sympathy to the mids and their families who more than earned a grand celebration during their four years “by the bay”.
Four thousand midshipmen who normally live within the walls of Bancroft Hall, affectionately known as “Mother B”, have remained home following Spring break due to the coronavirus, leaving a scant two dozen who remain for various reasons, along with six battalions of…mice. Behind the massive stone walls it is business as usual for the midshipmice as they follow standard procedure for “Procurement” (a class every plebe mouse is required to take). This is the reassurance I provided on a recent USNA Parents Facebook page when someone expressed the concern of their midshipman who had left some oatmeal in his dormitory room. Rations. Chester sends his thanks.
One of the many phrases taught at the Naval Academy is Adapt, Improvise and Overcome. In all seriousness, that is what the brigade of midshipmen is being called upon to do right now.
I leave you with a character study of Bodie on Induction Night. He arrived unused to wearing a uniform and with barnyard manners, which he was soon divested of thanks to some dedicated detailers. It is important to note here that the author had great difficulty in figuring out how to paint mice in trousers, let alone how to paint mice. I am consoled by the words of one of the illustrators of the wonderful Redwall book series who told me that he had Great Difficulty in painting mice and usually placed them in a corner of a scene “eating a scone”. True story. Thankfully I had a talented artist who illustrated Chester Midshipmouse book one. Stay tuned for exciting news regarding who may be illustrating book two!
The important goal for Bodie was to envision him as a new plebe in his unaccustomed white works, eating like a slob (that crunchy morsel was obtained in room 5016, by the way), for which he got in Great Trouble.
Susan Weisberg- Author
WHAT IS THE FUNNIEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO YOU?
This is a question that is not as simple to answer as one might think. Last summer it became my go-to conversation starter in order to test a new discovery—our funniest stories are most often those derived from embarrassing moments.
Can you recollect a laugh-out-loud situation that did not involve a blush or cringe? I tested my supposition on several people. Family and friends received the question, reacted with anticipatory grins, pondered, then soon replaced their smiles with perplexed expressions. Most said, “well, I don’t know…what was yours?”
Why is this so difficult?
If you can conjure up a really hysterical story that does not involve acute mortification, I would love to hear it. Email me (sweisberg@brassbuttonbooks.com) the funniest thing that ever happened to you and perhaps I might share it.
Chester remembers a funny incident. It happened when he was just a little rodent growing up in the mouse household. Here is how it was told to me:
Chester and his buddy Theo asked permission to build their first catapult. They gathered rudimentary supplies: wooden sticks, a white plastic spoon with a crust of pooled coffee in the bowl, and a strong rubber band. (Have you ever noticed how mice are copious users of rubber bands? It’s no wonder that Chester’s favorite pop song is Strings and Strands and Rubber Bands. You can find the first stanza in Chester Midshipmouse. Maybe someday I’ll publish the rest of the lyrics here.) Chester and Theo constructed a simple catapult and decided to test it out in a corner of the Gathering Hall. The only appropriately shaped projectile they could find that Chester’s mama would allow was a green olive stuffed with red pimiento. Stretching the twisted rubber band until taut, they aimed the contraption across the living space and let her fly, expecting a gentle, arcing lob. Unfortunately, just as they released the spoon launcher, Mr. Dash strolled by on all fours, thinking his thoughts. The olive flew in a line drive and took him out in a direct shot to the head—leaving smashed green and red bits everywhere. His poor mate, Miss Beatrice, saw the whole thing and passed out in a dead faint. When she came to, she was heard to say, “I thought those were his brains!”
Being well brought up mice, Chester and Theo got a good talking to and were required to make apologies. Later on, it was reported that there were smothered shouts of laughter heard from Theo’s nest, where the two friends gathered to talk over the whole episode.
So, that’s Chester’s story, at least as it was relayed to me. What’s yours? What’s the funniest thing that ever happened to you?
WHAT IS THE FUNNIEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO YOU?
Now this is a question that is not as simple to answer as one might think. Last summer it became my go-to conversation starter in order to test a new discovery—that our funniest stories are most often derived from embarrassing moments.
Can you recollect a laugh-out-loud situation that does not involve a blush or cringe? I tested my supposition on several people. Family and friends received the question, reacted with anticipatory grins, pondered, but soon their smiles were replaced by perplexed expressions. Most said, “well, I don’t know…what was yours?”
Why is this so difficult?
If you can conjure up a really hysterical story that does not involve acute mortification, I would love to hear it. Email me (sweisberg@brassbuttonbooks.com) the funniest thing that ever happened to you and perhaps I might share it.
Chester remembers a funny incident. It happened when he was just a little rodent growing up in the mouse household. Here is how it was told to me:
Chester and his buddy Theo asked permission to build their first catapult. They gathered rudimentary supplies: wooden sticks, a white plastic spoon with a crust of pooled coffee in the bowl, and a strong rubber band. (Have you ever noticed how mice are copious users of rubber bands? It’s no wonder that Chester’s favorite pop song is Strings and Strands and Rubber Bands. You can find the first stanza in Chester Midshipmouse. Maybe someday I’ll publish the rest of the lyrics here.) Chester and Theo constructed a simple catapult and decided to test it out in a corner of the Gathering Hall. The only appropriately shaped projectile they could find that Chester’s mama would allow was a green olive stuffed with red pimiento. Stretching the twisted rubber band until taut, they aimed the contraption across the living space and let her fly, expecting a gentle, arcing lob. Unfortunately, just as they released the spoon launcher, Mr. Dash strolled by on all fours, thinking his thoughts. The olive flew in a line drive and took him out in a direct shot to the head—leaving smashed green and red bits everywhere. His poor mate, Miss Beatrice, saw the whole thing and passed out in a dead faint. When she came to, she was heard to say, “I thought those were his brains!”
Being well brought up mice, Chester and Theo got a good talking to and were required to make apologies. Later on, it was reported that there were smothered shouts of laughter heard from Theo’s nest, where the two friends gathered to talk over the whole episode.
So, that’s Chester’s story, at least as it was relayed to me. What’s yours? What’s the funniest thing that ever happened to you?
Chester Shows His Blue and Gold Spirit
250 free spirit buttons were handed out to midshipmen at the Holiday Brigade Market, just in time for the Army-Navy 2019 football game.
N*ot Your Average Mouse!
Photos from Brigade Holiday Market Book-Signing, USNA, December 6, 2019
The pleasure was all mine to meet these hard-working midshipmen and hand out free spirit buttons.
Book Signing US Naval Academy October 19, 2019
Meet the Author of Chester Midshipmouse at the USNA Gift Shop! All proceeds benefit the Brigade of Midshipmen.
CHESTER MIDSHIPMOUSE in “the Plush”
What does Chester look like? While his likeness is captured beautifully in the book, this Chester doll is a fair representation. Created as a gift, the plush stuffed toy is faithful to Chester as a plebe. Check out the amazing details—brass nameplate “inscribed” with CHESTER, his blue-rimmed tee under the white works tunic, the silver belt buckle with initials NA (the only thing missing are the words Fidelity and Obedience), and his paw pads. While Chester’s fur tone is really in the tawny/golden color family and his dixie cup cover needs a bit of tweaking, we are enthralled. Wouldn’t it make a nice addition to the book?
