Word of Mouse

Isaiah and Gabriel look at Mr. Brophy’s truck and realize that its covered bed has plenty of space to conceal all the mice for a surprise attack on the lab. Upon returning to the burrow, Isaiah gathers the mice to explain his plan, referencing their recent victory over Lucifer using overwhelming numbers. Grundle objects and questions taking such a considerable risk for strangers. Gabriel and Gwindell defend Isaiah and remind the others of their creed: “No mouse left behind” (222). James the Wise supports Isaiah, saying his family is now their family. The rest of the mischief agrees to join Isaiah.

Mikayla’s singing of the Battle Call of the Mice attracts reinforcements from neighboring houses, and the burrow fills up with more recruits for the mission. Gabriel, acting as Isaiah’s first lieutenant, welcomes the new arrivals and encourages them to prepare to leave at dawn. Throughout the night, a steady stream of mice enters Mr. Brophy’s truck. Hailey assists by transporting them in her backpack and hoodie, and uses a volleyball net to create extra hammocks. In the end, they have five thousand mice. While making the final preparations, Gabriel says they need someone to signal the right moment to attack from inside the lab. Isaiah volunteers. They decide he will hide in Mr. Brophy’s shirt pocket; this way he can signal when the back door is propped open.

Isaiah wakes from his nap in the truck’s cup holder when he hears Mr. Brophy approaching. He hides in the crack between the seat cushion and back before the man enters the truck and drives to Lamina Labs. He realizes Mr. Brophy might see him crawling into his shirt pocket, and hides inside the lunch bag instead. During the drive, Isaiah notices Hailey following the truck on her bicycle. When Mr. Brophy reaches the lab, he chats with the security guard. He then parks at the loading dock, grabs his lunch with Isaiah hidden inside, and walks toward the lab’s entrance.

When Mr. Brophy speaks with Dr. Ledbetter, Isaiah sneaks out of the lunch bag and listens in on their conversation. He learns that the lab is on high alert due to an attempted break-in by an animal rights activist, who he suspects is Hailey. Dr. Ledbetter tells Mr. Brophy to keep the doors and windows locked, which ruins Isaiah’s plan to have the mouse army storm the building. With the back door closed and the alarms activated, Isaiah realizes he must complete the rescue mission alone. He follows Mr. Brophy to the room where his family used to be held, only to find all of the cages empty.

As Isaiah searches for answers about where his family went, he sees the same guard dog whose bark he imitated to scare Lucifer. The dog growls and shows his teeth at Isaiah. The mouse barks back, confusing the dog long enough to escape. He runs down the hall, looking for a place to hide. He spots the Blue Room, the place where the cruel experiments were performed on him and his family. Despite his fear, he knows the guard dog won’t follow him in there.

Inside, Isaiah sees his brothers and sisters glowing in various neon colors under ultraviolet light and squirming in sealed containers. Two men in surgical gowns, referred to as Long Coats, are preparing for their experiments. They select the red one, Abe. Isaiah watches in horror as one of the Long Coats grabs Abe by the tail and pulls him out of his container.

Desperate to stop the Long Coat from injecting something into Abe, Isaiah shouts for them to stop using a deep enough voice to be heard by the humans. Startled, they look around and spot Isaiah. They put Abe back in his container and focus on capturing Isaiah instead. He jumps onto a computer keyboard and types a command that releases his entire family at once. The two Long Coats are overwhelmed by the sudden swarm of mice. As his family escapes, Isaiah continues to type commands to aid their getaway. The technicians are fascinated by Isaiah’s ability to type. This distracts them long enough for his family to head for the back door, but he realizes in the process that he risks being left behind.

While the two Long Coats scream at each other to lock the door, Isaiah leaps off the rolling computer stand, narrowly avoiding being stepped on by the humans behind him. He barely manages to escape before the door slams shut behind him. On the other side, the technicians fumble with the lock, but Isaiah is already running down the hallway to the exit. He makes a sharp right turn and finds his brothers and sisters being chased by an enraged Mr. Brophy.

While Mr. Brophy chases them with a broom, Benji sarcastically mocks Isaiah’s plan and points out the issue of the locked door. Isaiah shouts at Mr. Brophy to distract him, causing the man to drop his broom. He climbs Mr. Brophy’s leg to his belt to reach his key ring. As Mr. Brophy swats at him, Isaiah clings on and calls for help from his family. Some of the mice form a tower by the door. Isaiah grabs the key ring, and some others swing him toward the door. Isaiah leaps, still holding the keys. Just before impact, paws grab him and bring him to the top of the tower by the door’s lock.

Mr. Brophy alerts Dr. Ledbetter, the head scientist, of the escape attempt. Isaiah identifies the correct key on the ring, and with the help of Abe and Winnie, they use their combined weight to unlock the door. However, when they try to push it open, it doesn’t budge. Dr. Ledbetter, along with the two technicians and Mr. Brophy, arrives. He mocks the mice for not knowing the door needs to be pulled open. He also intends to dissect Isaiah’s brain to understand what makes him so unique. Isaiah instructs the others to move away from the door. He sends a battle cry to the army of mice outside, and they burst out from the tailgate of Mr. Brophy’s truck.

Outside the lab, the dogs and security guard flee the swarm of mice. Led by Gabriel, the mice slam into the steel door. Isaiah, Abe, and Winnie turn the doorknob, and the door bursts open, allowing all five thousand mice to flood the room. Amid the chaos, Hailey appears with police officers and members of the ASPCA. She reveals she called 911 to expose the lab’s illegal activities. Despite Dr. Ledbetter’s attempts to deny the use of mice, the officers view the swarm as undeniable evidence. The police arrest Dr. Ledbetter and Mr. Brophy. Isaiah salutes Hailey before leading both mischiefs out of the lab. They escape through the back door, across the loading dock, and into a sewer pipe.

Isaiah introduces Hailey to his siblings in her backyard. Hailey is fascinated by their distinct colors and abilities and laments that more humans don’t appreciate how incredible mice can be. Isaiah reflects on how, while it might take some time for his siblings to adjust to their new lives, they are all happy to be free and integrate with Mikayla’s mischief.

Hailey excitedly proposes that Isaiah and a few other mice attend her church’s upcoming Animal Blessing ceremony. She explains it is a big celebration where the priest blesses pets, and it would be a perfect opportunity to introduce the mice to more people in a non-threatening way. Isaiah agrees, though he is concerned about having to dress up for the event.

Sunday arrives, and Isaiah is not thrilled with the outfit Hailey chose for him, but keeps his feelings to himself. He and Mikayla, Gabriel, Abe, and Winnie hide in Hailey’s backpack as she and her parents drive to church for the Animal Blessing service. Once inside, Isaiah is reminded of Noah’s Ark, a biblical story he loves due to its inclusion of animals, including mice. The church is filled with a variety of pets brought by the congregation: dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, goldfish, parakeets, and even a donkey. Hailey allows the mice to explore and meet the other animals, and they eagerly climb out of the backpack. However, as they move down the aisle, people start screaming and jumping onto the pews at the sight of them. This reaction disappoints Isaiah and reinforces his belief that no matter how much humans claim to love animals, they will always view mice as outcasts.

Hailey rushes down the aisle to gather Isaiah and the other mice, then approaches the podium where Father Ed is about to speak. She grabs the microphone and addresses the congregation, saying that all creatures, great and small, are significant. She introduces Isaiah and Mikayla. She says how Isaiah, despite being small, has shown wisdom and courage in helping his siblings, and Mikayla has been kind and understanding. She asks Isaiah to sing a song. With Mikayla’s assistance, Isaiah sings about unity and acceptance, which moves the congregation to tears. Father Ed praises Hailey’s message, saying it was better than any sermon he could have given. The service proceeds with the animals being blessed, including Isaiah and his friends. On the way out, an old lady warns Hailey about germs from mice, to which Hailey responds that humans also carry germs.

After the service, Isaiah and his family reflect on Hailey’s sermon. Abe ponders the idea that all animals, as God’s creatures, form one big family. This leads him to reveal a troubling bit of information he overheard while still in the lab: There is another Lamina Lab nearby where animals endure even worse conditions than they did. Isaiah is determined to rescue these animals but is shocked when his brother reveals the animals in danger are cats, not mice. Despite the danger, Isaiah reaffirms his commitment to help all creatures in need and that his word, once given, must be kept.