Walter: The Story of a Rat [Hardcover]

Barbara Wersba (Author), Donna Diamond (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

This is the story of a writer and a reader. The writer is a person. The reader is a rat. They share an old house on Long Island, but have never met. Walter, the rat, would love to know Miss Pomeroy, the writer. Miss Pomeroy is an irritable recluse and has no desire to know ANYONE. How these two lonely creatures discover one another is the essence of this story.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8–An unlikely friendship develops between Walter, literate rat, and Amanda Pomeroy, elderly writer of children's books. With frequent references to adult literature (Edna St. Vincent Millay, Stephen King, Tennessee Williams, and Sir Walter Scott, and that's just the first page), Wersba lovingly describes Walter's path through Ms. Pomeroy's library and his discovery that she has created a whole series of books about a secret-agent mouse. He also becomes aware of Stuart Little, Noisy Nora, and a host of other mouse characters (but no rats). Some older readers will recall their literary heritage while perhaps gaining advice for moving out from it. Diamond's black wash and line illustrations depict the elderly woman and the wide-eyed and well-mannered rat with charm. The writerly prose, erudite vocabulary, and the plot's nearly flat trajectory make this slow for casual readers, and some literalists may wonder how a mouse's tiny paws can put snack dishes in the sink or heft heavy books. But those with a love of words will enjoy the way Wersba shows Walter sneaking up on a friendship with the elusive but observant author. Like Richard Kennedy's Come Again in the Spring (HarperCollins, 1976) or Randall Jarrell's The Bat-Poet (S & S, 1967), this book gives readers some writing to remember and a chance to view the world from a different perspective.–Susan Hepler, formerly at Burgundy Farm Country Day School, Alexandria, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. It's hard to know the main audience for this small, old-fashioned, beautiful chapter book, which is told from the viewpoint of a solitary, literary rat (named after Sir Walter Scott) who lives in the house of an elderly, reclusive children's author, Miss Pomeroy. Kids certainly won't get all the references to classical literature, music, and movies, though they'll probably understand Walter's resentment about the absence of rat heroes (there are plenty of mice heroes, but only rat villains) in children's literature. How the two lonely literary creatures, "a writer and a reader," get together is moving and unpretentious. Walter writes Miss Pomeroy a note: "I live here too." She writes back, "I know." Lovely pencil drawings show Walter sitting in Miss Pomeroy's library, right on the pages of a book, reading passionately. Eventually they write more and become true friends. Quiet and unsentimental, this may appeal to readers slightly older than the target audience and to adults who remember the children's books they loved, including those by Wersba. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 61 pages
• Publisher: Front Street Press (September 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932425411
• ISBN-13: 978-1932425413
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #858,349 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A POLISHED GEM, December 8, 2005

By 

S. Ferguson (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Walter: The Story of a Rat (Hardcover)

This is one of those nearly perfect children's books: a fable really, in the manner of THE LITTLE PRINCE. It's a story of a rat and a writer, but it's really a story about the vulnerability and fragility of friendship and love. Tender, funny, literate--this is my universal Christmas gift this year.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for children but for any sensitive booklover, August 21, 2006

By 

Anne K. (Connecticut) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Walter: The Story of a Rat (Hardcover)

Although this near-perfect book has been marketed as a "children's" book, it would be loved and treasured by anyone who loves books and reading. I would compare it to "Charlotte's Web" and the Narnia books as a book that will appeal to children older than seven as a story, but it will mean something deep and touching to their parents. There's a slight hint of melancholy to the book -- a pleasant melancholy -- as there is in "Charlotte's Web." I will be giving it to everyone on my Christmas list this year. My copy is going on my shelf of very special books you read and re-read throughout your life, next to E.B. White, the Narnia books, and "The Little Book Room," by Eleanor Farjeon.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, May 29, 2006

By 

K. Pyle (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Walter: The Story of a Rat (Hardcover)

Excellent book for young readers. My son is eight. He was delighted with all aspect of Walter: The Story of a Rat. The reading level is a step up from early chapter books; ie. Magic Tree House, Magic School Bus. Vocabulary and plot are challenging and intriging. Well worth the read.