Emmy feels like she's invisible. No one notices her at school and her parents are always traveling, leaving her at home with her crotchety Nanny, Miss Barmy. Emmy tries her hardest to be good but she can never seem to please Miss Barmy. One day the classroom pet, the Rat, not only notices her but starts talking to her! Is he a good rat or a bad rat? And how is it that he can talk and Emmy can understand him?
I liked that this book was dark without being too scary or too suspenseful. Emmy's parents are absent most of the time, but not dead like parents are in a lot of fantasy books. My first grader is super sensitive and can't read books or watch movies with dead parents. It was also funny and has some grossness that kids will love. Even though Emmy is a girl, this is not a "girly" book and should appeal to both girls and boys. There is plenty of action, mystery and fantasy.
This middle grade book is geared toward three-six graders. My second grader, who reads at probably a third or fourth grade level, read this book to himself and loved it. He had no problem comprehending the plot. I read this book aloud to my first grader, who also loved the book but a little trouble connecting the dots when Emmy started to solve the mystery of the talking Rat and the evil Miss Barmy. When I sensed he wasn't getting something, I would stop reading and discuss with him what he thought was happening and then help him to understand it better. With this help, he was also able to comprehend the book and he also loved it. His favorite part was the flipbook on the right margin. As you read the book, there are pictures of the Rat slowly falling out of a tree. It was a fun way to track our progress through the book
My boys and I read this book for the Intergenerational Book Club at our church. The facilitator of the book club came up with some really fun activities to go along with our discussion. We always have food that relates to the book so she brought miniature peanut butter cups, which are the Rat's favorite snack. Also mentioned in the book are jam tarts. She found some cookies with jam in the middle and brought those. In the book, Emmy makes a chinchilla foot out of clay so the facilitator brought some modeling clay and a picture of a chinchilla. The kids had a blast making their own chinchilla feet. And the piece de resistance (for the kids anyway!) was the whoopee cushion she brought for them to take turns playing with. Farting plays a significant part in one part of the book, much to my disgust and all the children's delight.
This book is the first in a series that includes at least three books so far. My boys were delighted to know that there were more books about Emmy waiting for them to read - a ringing endorsement for sure!
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Sooooo good!!
This was so much fun! Definitely a creative, humorous, quirky adventure! I loved it so much. Emmy is always a good girl. She always does her homework, eats all her vegetables, & never talks back to Miss Barmy, her nanny, even though it’s almost impossible most days. Which is why she sits next to the Rat. He’s not very good at all. She thinks if she’s good, her parents will want to stay home w/her more. After a while though, it gets a bit much. No one ever seems to see her, or even remember her. Then she makes 2 friends in class-the Rat, & a boy named Joe. She stumbles upon a whole rodent community too! Lol She also learns that her nanny is up to some very bad things. So Emmy, along w/her new human & rodent friends, try to find a way to stop the nanny & her evil plans. This had me so entertained lol I was laughing so much, full of suspense another, & just totally engrossed the whole time. The backstory, the current storyline, & all the details that make up the stories combined are just so creative & I loved every second. I love that little rude, cantankerous Rat lol he stole my heart. Emmy is an amazing MC. I loved reading from her. All the side characters even are just great. The other rodents are just as amazing side characters as the human ones. Even the villain, Miss Barmy, is so well written. I loved to “hate” her. This was humorous, cheeky, & full of heart.. & innocence in a way. Another book-hug worthy book for sure. Highly recommend. Can’t wait to start book 2! Love this beautiful cover by Jonathan Bean..as well as the illustrations at the top of every page & the little rat on every page. Beautiful!💜
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