When You Wish upon a Rat

August 20, 2012
Australian author McCarthy (Rose by Any Other Name) creates a fun variation on the three wishes motif in her first middle-grade novel, which features Ruth Craze, an 11-year-old who has had it with her sloppy, noisy family. A magic toy rat named Rodney, inherited by Ruth from her beloved aunt, provides three opportunities for Ruth to change her life. "You describe your perfect life and I'll do my very best to get it happening for you," claims the talking rodent. Mostly, Ruth wants to get rid of her annoying family members, but predictably she discovers that trying to change or escape them results in more pain than gain. Having perfect parents, it turns out, can be even more irksome than having eccentric ones, and Ruth also learns that she isn't cut out for a restricted life at boarding school or the flashy lifestyle of a celebrity. Smart, big-hearted, and believably flawed, Ruth has all the characteristics of a classic heroine; trickster Rodney, brash but lovable enough to win his mistress's affection, remains more of an enigma. Ages 8â12.

August 15, 2012
Everything goes wrong after Ruth loses Rodney the rat, a present from her Aunt Mary Ellen: Mary Ellen dies, Ruth fights with her friends, and her family becomes an embarrassment. In an opening scene, Ruth's relationship with Mary Ellen is warmly drawn, presenting a stark contrast to her situation one year later. In a pivotal move, Ruth skips a family outing to search for Rodney, an eerily lifelike, clothed toy. Sympathetic children will understand the link between Ruth's decision and her grief; all will recognize her loneliness. When she finds Rodney, he has come alive and offers her three chances at the perfect life. Problems develop with each and even become menacing when it seems that Ruth may not be able to escape before being permanently stuck, making readers doubt Mary Ellen: Was Rodney really a good-luck gift? Two of the scenarios offer familiar fare, but in one, Ruth is deposited in a draconian 1950s Catholic orphanage, where she befriends a girl who will grow up to touch Mary Ellen's life. However, this connection is tenuous and the dream-lives feel rather superfluous, since it is the search itself that sparks Ruth's memories of Mary Ellen's encouragement, allowing her to grow. A subplot concerning an abused schoolmate is almost lost until, in a questionable move, Ruth gives Rodney to him. Despite winning, original moments, the parts, unfortunately, do not add up to a satisfying whole. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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December 1, 2012

Gr 3-6-In this fantasy set firmly in a realistic world, Ruth, who is responsible and organized, feels that she doesn't belong in her lackadaisical family as they don't appreciate her. In addition, she has been rejected by her group of friends at school for not being cool enough. Ruth's beloved aunt gives her the gift of a mysterious stuffed rat, which is lost on the side of the road during a scuffle with her brother. After her aunt dies, and with the encouragement of a boy in her class, Ruth returns to find the rat and discovers that he is magical: he gives her three chances to choose a different life. In each case, she is able to stay in that version for up to a day, but before the day is up, she has to find a hidden door if she wishes to escape. If she fails to do so, she will remain in that reality forever. The rat's ability to understand Ruth's desires are somewhat questionable, and Ruth lands up first in a "perfect" family, then in an orphanage. Through these magical experiences she grows in wisdom and understanding. The predictable ending is enlivened by the suggestion that Ruth was able to influence the present during her time in an alternate life set in the past, and by the side plot about her friend who is being abused by his father. Middle grade readers who like their fantasy with a good dose of realistic fiction will appreciate this one.-Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City

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