I Was a Rat! - Softcover

With the feel of a Grimm's Fairy Story, but with a thoroughly modern twist, Philip Pullman's I Was a Rat is an intriguing, sparkling story by an author who never ceases to amaze.

When Old Bob the Cobbler and his Washerwoman Wife, Joan, find a strange little boy on their doorstep, the search for his true parentage begins. But the child, who insists that he was once a rat, a condition diagnosed as "rodent delusion" by the doctor, finds coming to terms with being a normal little boy rather confusing. Taken to the Palace by the Philosopher Royal--who decides that he is indeed a "curious and interesting case", his fame spreads and he finds himself back on the streets, facing ridicule on the pages of the Daily Scourge where he is maligned as a monster, and finds his life threatened because of his reputation.

Set against the backdrop of a Royal Wedding--which in itself gives Pullman the opportunity to take a wry and effective sideways glance at the way the press can manipulate public feeling, and with the addition of a smart twist to the tale which allows the newly-wed Princess Aurelia to show her true colours--I Was a Rat is pure pleasure from beginning to end. Pullman delivers yet another opportunity to prove that his startling ability to effortlessly transport readers to another dimension is a force to be reckoned with. (Ages 7 to 11) --Susan Harrison

"This is a highly artful, child-friendly pastiche which takes a famous fairy tale as its starting point, pokes fun at adult pretensions and gullibility on the way, and rattles along to a deeply satisfying conclusion" (Daily Telegraph)

"Combining elements of fairy tale, satire, slapstick humour and suspenseful melodrama . . . A glorious tale" (Guardian)

"All life is here in this skilful unfolding of a very human tale from a great storyteller" (The Bookseller)

"A comic genius of children's fiction" (The Times)

"A skilful fusion of fairytale and contemporary culture, combining elements of satire, slapstick humour and suspenseful melodrama to create a wonderfully imaginative story that can be read on many levels" (Writeaway!)