Book Review: Oh, Rats! by Tor Seidler

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Book received at no charge to facilitate review

Phoenix loves his bushy red tail. It's his favorite part of being a squirrel. As he's admiring in reflection in the water, while trying to impress a girl, he's swooped up by a red-tailed hawk named Walter. Soaring over New Jersey, Phoenix gets an earful from the hawk who won't stop talking. He thinks his luck has turned when Walter loses his grip and drops Phoenix. Fate changes quickly when Phoenix lands on fresh tar on the streets of downtown Manhattan. The tar chars off his glorious fur, leaving him looking like a sewer rat.

Luckily, the brother and sister team of Lucy and Beckett rescue Phoenix and bring him to home, an abandoned pier, where he is nursed back to health amongst the wharf rats. When the rats learn of a plan to demolish the wharf to make room for a new development, they enlist Phoenix with his excellent climbing skills to sabotage the city's electrical grid. Will their plan work? And an even bigger question is the dilemma that Phoenix must face when Walter returns and offers to take him home.

A light-hearted look at the deeper concepts of cooperation, finding yourself, and creating belonging amongst strangers.

Rating ★★★★☆

Publishing Information

Publisher: Atheneum/Caitly Dlouhy Books 

Publication Date: August 27, 2019

ISBN:  9781534426849

Ages: 8-12

**Review books are donated to my local Little Library. No payment received for posts though purchases through affiliate links help support this blog.**