Amazingly good, so glad a teacher friend mentioned as I had somehow missed it. Published in 2005. Want to own a copy.

I love rats- owning 2 of my own. this was a cute story with a good message. Not to judge a rat by his fur and to accept good in all animals.

I like that rats were portrayed as intelligent, sweet and caring for once instead of being the villain in the book.

I loved every sentence and every drawing in this book about a unique friendship and about reading and writing. It has the feel of a classic, of a book I could have read as a child, and I'm sure I'd have loved it then, too.

Sehr schöne Geschichte über eine ungewöhnliche Freundschaft zwischen zwei einsamen Seelen.
Die Bücherratte ist definitiv ein Pluspunkt, auch wenn die Geschichte für meinen Geschmack ein wenig länger hätte sein dürfen.

it was ok

Kennt jemand von euch das Buch „Firmin - Ein Rattenleben“ ..? Nein..oh, das solltet ihr ganz dringend nachholen, denn auch hier spielen eine kluge Ratte, und ganz viele Bücher die Hauptrolle. Ganz genau wie eben jetzt in dieser wunderbaren Geschichte.

Walter ist keine gewöhnliche Ratte, denn er kann lesen. Kein Wunder, dass er sich nach Sir Walter Scott benannt hat! Er lebt im Haus von Miss Pomeroy, einer alten Dame, die Kinderbücher schreibt und eine herrliche Bibliothek besitzt. Dort macht Walter jedoch eines Tages eine erschütternde Entdeckung: Der Held in Miss Pomeroys Kinderbüchern ist ausgerechnet eine Maus!
Walter, der als kultivierte Ratte sehr unter dem schlechten Ruf seiner Artgenossen leidet, ist zutiefst gekränkt und beschließt, Miss Pomeroy einen Brief zu schreiben. So beginnt eine ungewöhnliche Freundschaft. Und am Weihnachtstag wartet eine wunderbare Überraschung auf Walter ...

<so stand es in Naturkundebüchern geschrieben. Er bevorzugte den
Zusatz „Norwegische“ anstelle von „Gemeine“, denn er wusste, dass er überhaupt nichts Gemeines, mit anderen Worten Gewöhnliches an sich hatte. Gelegentlich gefiel er sich darin, sih selbst bei seinem lateinischen Namen zu nennen, welcher
‚Rattus norvegicus‘ lautete. >>

Obwohl ich das Büchlein sehr geliebt habe, muss ich mal wieder der empfohlenen Altersangabe von 7-9 Jahren widersprechen, und es eher als Erwachsenenbuch einordnen. Welchem Kind sagt schon „Der große Gatsby was..? Der Text ist gespickt mit Autorennamen, Titeln und Zitaten aus Werken der angelsächsischen Literatur, was uns natürlich großen Spaß bringt, aber für Kinder eher ungeeignet ist und somit den Fluss der Geschichte hindern würde. Ich selbst aber, habe das Buch geliebt. Es geht um Schmerz, Einsamkeit, Hoffnung, Verstehen, Liebe und auch das Alter. Die Literatur ist das bindende Element zwischen den beiden Protagonisten und schafft eine einzigartige Freundschaft.

Sweet friendship story about a rat who was somehow born with the ability to read and an elderly writer who has become a hermit. I'm not sure how well this works as a children's chapter book. There's not much plot and neither of the characters have much kid appeal. The writing and vocabulary are over the heads of most chapter book readers. Many of the books mentioned or quoted are adult titles that are not suitable for such young readers. This quiet, slow story harkens back to an era that is decades past.

Detailed black-and-white illustrations are superb. You can almost reach into the pages to pet Walter.

Good introduction to rats for the classroom.

This is an adorable short story of a rat that knows how to read. He named himself Walter after Sir Walter Scott, and he lives in the home of a writer. He is systematically reading through her library, and periodically comments on his surprise when classic titles don’t match the stories inside, and quotes famous works without quite remembering where the quote came from.

One thing that bothers him is how poorly rats are portrayed in the human world, and in human literature. Mice are written about fondly and cutely, but never rats. He discovers that his housemate writes for children, and then he discovers her books in her own library. To his disappointment, she has written a series of books about a secret agent that is a MOUSE! His feelings are hurt. He has, in the past, tried to reach out to her and strike up a friendship by leaving little gifts for her, but she never seemed to notice them, but with this new revelation that she, too, is among the writers who are enamored with mice, he decides to try again. He types up a message for her on her own typewriter—“My goodness, he thought, it was hard to write words! Walter had never known this before, and it impressed him. Why was it easy to read words, and hard to write them? Maybe it was because there were so many words to choose from.”

In the end, he leaves out his grievances over her chosen protagonist, and instead simply says, “My name is Walter. I live here too.” When the writer writes back, her words are quite a surprise. The story touches on loneliness and a solitary life, a love of books, and a budding, unlikely friendship. It's one of just a few books that is itself a love letter to books.

Great read for adults too!

Loved the characters and the unfolding story.... a beautiful beautiful book with gorgeous illustrations... a favourite to return to Amanda again

This book was very heartwarming. What I liked about it was the fact that the rat learned to read while at the same time befriends a human being, which in this case is a children's book author.

Wonderful story about communication, delving into the self and the appreciation of others via effort to form bonds.

Surprised by this little gem as it navigates misunderstandings and sets out to become better acquainted with the parties involved. A unique opportunity to contemplate relationships through earnest words and perspectives. Charming and something to read in a cozy place. As this book will leave you relaxed and perhaps as snug as Walter's thoughtfully decorative nest.