Ratty Barclay wasn’t supposed to be born a four-foot-tall, walking, talking rodent, but thanks to the Barclay family curse, he’s had to live in hiding from the rest of the world. All he wants for his thirteenth birthday is to return to his family’s abandoned estate on Fairweather Island to somehow break the curse. Then he’ll finally get to live his life as a four-foot-tall, walking, talking, human boy.
Edweena Gup, the granddaughter of the Barclays’ groundskeeper, has dedicated her life to being a Rat-Catcher Extraordinaire like her great-great-great grandmother before her. It doesn’t matter that Fairweather Island has been rat-free for over a hundred years—she’s determined to make sure everyone is prepared for their imminent return. And when she spots a human-sized rat lurking on the Barclay grounds, her worst fears are confirmed.
Though it seems like Ratty and Edweena are destined to be enemies, they have a lot in common—they’re both lonely and misunderstood. But will they be able to overcome their fears of each other and maybe even become friends?
After reading the words “four-foot-tall, walking, talking rodent,” I had to try this book.
Ratty is a sweet, sympathetic character who wants nothing more than to be accepted. But because of the world’s prejudice against rats, he’s had to live in hiding.
Edweena got on my nerves. She is a passionate person, but she comes off as so annoying. Her continuous rants about the dangers of rats, how she was bitten by one as a baby, and that it’s her ‘destiny’ to keep the island safe got old real fast.
I was more invested in Ratty and the Barclay family curse. Rest assured, there is a reason why the Barclay family is cursed. I can’t tell you any more than that.
It’s always a treat when middle-grade novels feature illustrations. The illustrator, Lavanya Naidu, did a great job making Ratty and the other rats look sweet and non-threatening.
I kept thinking about how my own characters, Maddie and Albert, would react to meeting Ratty. They would probably be scared initially, as fear is the reasonable first response to seeing a four-foot-tall rodent. But they would quickly warm up to Ratty. I could imagine Albert asking him questions and Maddie messing with his tail. I liked this idea so much that I decided to draw it. What do you think?
Overall, this story contains good messages about overcoming biases and respecting the environment. If you would like to learn more about rats, I recommend watching the Pixar short “Your Friend the Rat,” starring Remy and Emile from the Pixar film Ratatouille.