When You Wish Upon A Rat by Maureen McCarthy


My 2 cents:

When You Wish Upon A Rat, a juvenile fiction book by popular Australian author Maureen McCarthy, follows a familiar format, yet is still, somehow, fresh – both a little funny and a little sad.

Ruth Craze, new to teen-age-hood, loses a much-loved aunt to cancer, and suddenly finds herself extremely dissatisfied with her home, family and friends. Through an adventure with a rat and a new friend named Howard, Ruth's eye-opening experience is reminiscent of stories about a young King Arthur and the wizard Merlin, and FREAKY FRIDAY (book by Mary Rodgers, movie starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis).

Who's it for? Ages ten and up, and their parents. Heads up to parents: McCarthy does a great job at showing parents (the good and the bad) through the eyes of their kids.

Length: 281 pages

Worth Your Time? Yes, though I admit I found Rodney (the rat) a little creepy.

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