16 Oct / I Was a Rat! by Philip Pullman [in School Library Journal]
*STARRED REVIEW
Philip Pullman’s 1999 fairy-tale-adjacent, murine fable begets a delightful audio adaptation, gloriously dramatized by British actor Robert Glenister, who effortlessly showcases a dazzlingly vast cast. One moonlit night, a little boy in a torn uniform knocks on cobbler Bob and washerwoman Joan’s door announcing, “I was a rat.”
The kind, childless couple welcome him, feed him (after teaching him to use a spoon), and name him Roger. Repeated attempts to find Roger’s family fail, making Bob and Joan his de facto parents. But Roger runs away after a school incident, gets trapped in a “freak show,” makes the wrong friends, and lands in prison. Extermination looms until a princess comes to his rescue and he’s finally allowed to go home for good.
Verdict: Even as he brilliantly exposes society’s ills, “His Dark Materials” mastermind Philip Pullman deftly entertains; Glenister keeps readers thoroughly enchanted throughout.
Review: “22 Audiobooks Inspired by Fairy Tales and Mythology,” School Library Journal, August 29, 2022
From the introduction: For the latest audio roundup, we turn to titles inspired by fairy tales and mythology, each published in 2022. Rewriting, adapting, subverting the familiar has long been a popular literary trope – who can argue with universal appeal? Cinderella, especially, continues to be an evergreen favorite, appearing in multiple stories, often in surprising permutations. Read (and listen) on!
Readers: Middle Grade
Published: 2022