LitPick Review
A Rat and a Ransom is an adorable tale full of adventure. It centers on Tom Lewis, a privileged but lonely 9-year-old boy, who wants a pet more than anything. One rainy Sunday as Tom is gazing out his bedroom window, he sees something outside that looks like an animal. He goes outside to investigate and finds a cat trying to eat a white rat who is hiding at the bottom of an old watering can. Tom adopts the rat, and names her “Mask” because of the black markings on her face. Then, Tom and Mask are kidnapped for ransom and held captive in an old farmhouse. Will they be able to escape and get back home safely?
Opinion:
Being a rodent-lover, I was immediately caught by the title of this story. I found it to be a delightful, adventurous tale. Though intended for younger readers, it is a very cute, quick read for older audiences, too.The language and descriptions were quite good and the characters were very likable and realistic, especially Mask. The only thing that I did not like was the ending. I don’t want to give anything away, but it felt as if the author got tired of writing the story and wrapped it up as quickly as possible. The ending was terribly unfulfilling; I felt the author could have added a short epilogue tying everything up in a more satisfying way. However, A Rat and a Ransom was an engaging, fast read that I enjoyed.
