Character Analysis

Oh Nigel—he's the dreamiest mouse you ever laid eyes on. He's the ship steward and the ship hunk, all rolled into one little furry package. Seriously, when Helena and her siblings first meet Nigel, his looks are all they can think about:

We were riveted. Two eyes, redder than rubies, looked down at us. Camilla's furs parted, and a head appeared, then an entire mouse, snow-white. A big mouse. Full-grown and then some, in the prime of life. Gorgeous whiskers. (6.31)

Yep, Nigel sure is the cat's meow—of course he doesn't like cats, but you know what we mean. He's hot stuff on this ship and the Cranston mice know it, especially Beatrice, who's got her eye on Nigel from the start. And over time, he sets his cap at her, too. These two get hitched in the end, and they seem like a happy couple.

In addition to being this ship's cutest mouse ever, Nigel is also a great leader. He's got confidence like you wouldn't believe, and he's ready to use his poise to help the Cranston mice out. So he makes sure they have some new pals at their first dinner on the ship, and he takes Lamont in as a Mouse Scout, which is super sweet.

To top it all off, Nigel's not afraid of humans or the ship's cat. In other words, he's brave, confident, poised, thoughtful, and super cute—the ultimate catch (though hopefully never for a cat).