When You Wish Upon a Rat, by?Maureen McCarthy
(Amulet Books, 2012)
Ruth Craze is not happy with her family or her friends. Her favorite aunt, the only person who really understands her, has given her a stuffed animal rat, and Ruth clings to Rodney Rat. Until her brother accidentally tosses him off a bridge.
This mixture of fantasy, second chances, and grief is a fast, compelling read. Ruth’s character is so quirky! I usually don’t like really negative characters, but I loved Ruth. I did think she was stronger in the first third of the novel, and that she got a little bit bland in the last two-thirds. But I was still rooting for her and very curious to see what would happen. The ending is a little too easy for my taste, but this is still a really good book.
(I read this book on my Kindle with a Netgalley copy provided by the publisher.)