cover image When You Wish Upon a Rat

When You Wish Upon a Rat

Maureen McCarthy. Abrams/Amulet, $16.95 (288p) ISBN 978-1-4197-0161-0

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 8%E2%80%9312. (Sept.)