What do you think?
Rate this book
Rat Rule 79: An Adventure
“Rivka Galchen delivers joy and cleverness reminiscent of The Phantom Tollbooth , Alice in Wonderland , and Hayao Miyazaki movies” (NPR, Best Books of 2019) in Rat Rule 79 , a brain-twisting adventure story about friendship, growing up, and peanut-butter-pickle sandwiches. Fred and her math-teacher mom are always on the move, and Fred is getting sick of it. She’s about to have yet another birthday in a new place without friends. On the eve of turning thirteen, Fred sees something strange in the living her mother, dressed for a party, standing in front of an enormous paper lantern―which she steps into and disappears. Fred follows her and finds herself in the Land of Impossibility―a loopily illogical place where time has been outlawed by a mad Rat Queen, along with birthday parties and, most cruelly, peanut butter. Fred meets Downer, a downcast white elephant, and Gogo, a pugnacious mongoose mother of seventeen, who help her in her quest to find her mom. Together they must brave dungeons, Insult Fish, a Know-It-Owl, Fearsome Ferlings, and ultimately the Rat Queen herself―and solve an ageless riddle to escape certain doom. Gorgeously illustrated and reminiscent of The Phantom Tollbooth and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz , Rivka Galchen’s Rat Rule 79 is an instant classic for curious readers of all ages.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published September 24, 2019
29 people are currently reading
704 people want to read
About the author
Rivka Galchen
21 books466 followersRivka Galchen (born 1976) is a Canadian-American writer and physician. Her first novel, Atmospheric Disturbances, was published in 2008. She currently is an adjunct professor in the writing division of Columbia University's School of Art. In 2010, she was chosen as one of the 20 best writers under 40 by The New Yorker.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
October 1, 2019
I love the activities Fred and her mom play with paper and pen. This adventure book is interesting. I like Downer the elephant because he's not afraid to fail so he's not afraid to try new things. I like that this story promotes thinking outside the box because of word play between Fred and the Owl. Fred's favorite meal of peanut butter and pickle sandwiches on raisin bread is really out there.
This book is told in the third person point of view following Fred, 12 going on 13 as she sat down to eat some takeout lo mein noodles with her mom, a math professor, using paper plates. They ate on paper plates because they have just moved yet again into a new place in a new city and have yet to unpack. Fred and her mom's fortune cookies delivered some weird messages and it upsets Fred more on top of moving. Her mom told her to go to sleep and to know that she's loved. Fred is mad and instead of sleeping she stayed up late and caught her mom walking into a big paper lantern. She decided to do the same but found herself locked in a dungeon with an elephant instead of with her mom. In the dungeon, the elephant named Downer introduced Fred of Rat Rule 79 where many things are illegal including birthday parties, growing older, keeping time, etc while they looked for a way to leave the dungeon to find Fred's mom when a knock knock came at the door. The second view is the narrator.
Rat Rule 79 is very well written and such an interesting twist of words. It makes me stop and think or re-read passages to understand what I'm reading. I feel like the twisty sentences played a trick on me sometimes. I have never read any story quite like this. It's very unique and different. The story takes an unexpected turn every page and I can't tell where it will go next. The chapter titles are unique as well. It's an excellent adventure in the Land of Impossibility and I recommend everyone to read this book!
Pro: twisty words/sentences, animals, adventure, friendships, thinking outside the box
Con: none
I rate it 5 stars!
***Disclaimer: Many thanks to the publisher, Restless Books, for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
xoxo, Jasmine
This book is told in the third person point of view following Fred, 12 going on 13 as she sat down to eat some takeout lo mein noodles with her mom, a math professor, using paper plates. They ate on paper plates because they have just moved yet again into a new place in a new city and have yet to unpack. Fred and her mom's fortune cookies delivered some weird messages and it upsets Fred more on top of moving. Her mom told her to go to sleep and to know that she's loved. Fred is mad and instead of sleeping she stayed up late and caught her mom walking into a big paper lantern. She decided to do the same but found herself locked in a dungeon with an elephant instead of with her mom. In the dungeon, the elephant named Downer introduced Fred of Rat Rule 79 where many things are illegal including birthday parties, growing older, keeping time, etc while they looked for a way to leave the dungeon to find Fred's mom when a knock knock came at the door. The second view is the narrator.
Rat Rule 79 is very well written and such an interesting twist of words. It makes me stop and think or re-read passages to understand what I'm reading. I feel like the twisty sentences played a trick on me sometimes. I have never read any story quite like this. It's very unique and different. The story takes an unexpected turn every page and I can't tell where it will go next. The chapter titles are unique as well. It's an excellent adventure in the Land of Impossibility and I recommend everyone to read this book!
Pro: twisty words/sentences, animals, adventure, friendships, thinking outside the box
Con: none
I rate it 5 stars!
***Disclaimer: Many thanks to the publisher, Restless Books, for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
xoxo, Jasmine
February 3, 2020
I pretty much don't need to write a review, since my new (I hope) BBFF@GR has already done it. With a good sampling of Elena Megalos's wonderful art, too!
https://howusefulitis.wordpress.com/2...
And I really like the mathematical games the group gets into in Wonderland! I have to borrow my wife's copy when she isn't looking, so this may take awhile. . . 😎
OK, it's a kid's book. It didn't always make sense, exactly -- but the art carries the book. Recommended.
https://howusefulitis.wordpress.com/2...
And I really like the mathematical games the group gets into in Wonderland! I have to borrow my wife's copy when she isn't looking, so this may take awhile. . . 😎
OK, it's a kid's book. It didn't always make sense, exactly -- but the art carries the book. Recommended.
November 29, 2019
I do not trust adult novelists. Not, as a general rule, when they start dipping their toes into the world of children’s literature. I am interested, in their attempts, yes, and, truth be told, I am more inclined to pick up their books than with a hitherto unknown writer. Yet time and again I am disappointed by the results. I am not saying that an adult novelist is incapable of writing well for children. Neil Gaiman seemed to figure it out. Catherynne Valente is passable. But on the whole, these authors have a very hard time transferring their talents to a younger audience. Often they try too hard, dumbing down the material, failing to respect the intelligence of the child reader. In this light Rivka Galchen is an interesting case. A novelist and writer, if you’ve read a piece in the New Yorker about a children’s book or children’s book creator, odds are Ms. Galchen was behind it. More importantly, in her new book for kids, Rat Rule 79, she deftly avoids that disrespect so many authors indulge in. This book understands children and gives them some credit for figuring out how the world works around them. It takes a great big swing and, in some ways, misses, but I’d rather read a book from someone who shoots for the moon than one that always plays it safe. Never boring. Consistently fascinating.
Fred is grumpy, but she has every reason in the world to be. If you were constantly moving to new cities with your mom you might feel the same way. So when Fred has a particularly peevish night, telling her mother she has no interest in a birthday party with kids she doesn’t even know, she has no idea what’s coming next. Certainly not that she’d see her mom walk into a glowy, magical paper lantern in their living room. Or that by following she’d find herself in a land ruled by a mysterious Rat whose rules and ultimatums are never broken or challenged. Now, armed with several new friends, Fred is setting off to free the Rat, find her mother, and see if there’s any way to return home, if you can truly call a place you’ve just moved to that.
At its heart Rat Rule 79 is falling into the old Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland format. This is, I should note, probably the most difficult kind of children’s novel to attempt. On its surface it may feel rather freeing. You drop your main character into a fairy world rife with puns or bits of wordplay (or even numbers!) and you don’t have to fret about the trappings of reality. You’ll find books like The Phantom Tollbooth that replicate this model, but that’s sort of a best-case scenario. For the most part, such a book is very very difficult to maintain. We’re talking about books where character development is not the highest of priorities and where BIG ideas are on parade for the reader’s love. The advantage of such books is that they appeal to those child readers that enjoy feeling smart and clever because they’re getting a high percentage of what the author is saying. Yet the vast majority of these kinds of stories end up fairly forgotten. For Galchen to make Rat Rule 79 in that mold, she had to feel fairly confident that this was the only way this story could possibly go down. In a weird way, you gotta respect that.
There are choices that the book made that make a lot of sense to me. The chapter headings, for one, are an infinite source of enjoyment. Here’s just a sampling: “A Sorry Chapter. The Technically True Chapter. The Other Chapter. What Does This Chapter Look Like to You? Chapter Ate. The Empty Set. Interrogative Chapter. Chapter Grue.” They go on but you get the idea. At the book’s heart, it just seems to be having a lot of fun with the material. It seems strange to say but when an adult writer is reveling in cleverness, child readers will often tap into that enjoyment too. There are her descriptions, which can say things like, “Her spotted feathers looked humbly magnificent like the seed pattern in a kiwi.” There are the moments like the one where Fred figures out how to outwit the Rat’s visiting hours by being literally "on time". And there are the characters, the dialogue, the names and places, and the general sense that everything is going somewhere and that if you just follow long enough you might be able to get there too.
But at other times there were choices that just baffled me. Let us, for example, try to figure out what our heroine’s problem is. Fred and her mother, we are told at the start (in “Chapter Tuesday”) move from town to town for no particular reason. In the last six years they have moved five times. Ostensibly this is because Fred’s mother is a math professor. Her mom suggests they hold a birthday party and Fred isn’t interested. Soon thereafter her mother disappears into a giant lantern and Fred is determined to find her. But rather than focus on the problem of Fred having to find a home all the time, the book instead chooses to believe that the problem was Fred’s refusal to have a birthday party. She’s also, it can be said, supposed to find her mom, and there are little mysterious mom hints and clues spotted throughout the story. Indeed, when you take into account the subplot involving The Rat and her son, it seems that it would be natural for the course of the book to examine that particular relationship in some manner, however peripheral. And there is a bit of that here and there. Galchen is reaching out and attempting to grasp at some very big ideas, all wrapped up in children aging and birthdays and what it’s like for parents when their children get older. But because none of that ties into Fred’s central search, finding her mom, it feels as if the book is so close to coalescing into something brilliant, but didn’t quite get there. Which is a pity because it’s quite an enjoyable read.
For the record, I can find no flaw in the decision to tap artist Elena Megalos as the illustrator. This is, by all accounts, her first children’s book and she’s an ideal match for the material. From the charming endpapers showing an elephant dancing with an umbrella to the colors of the spot art (red, gray, black, and pink), to the little details in each of the characters (a mongoose mom wearing a sporting t-shirt and backpack), the art of Megalos is a consistent delight. In bedtime tales of this sort, art should come as a delectable treat every time it appears on a page. This art does precisely that. Tonally, it’s a perfect complement to Galchen’s particular form of levelheaded whimsy. You wouldn’t exchange the art here for anyone else’s in the world.
How much should you really demand from a children’s book? It’s a tricky question. On the one hand, I like my books for kids to be satisfying. And 90% of this book is precisely that. It’s only when you get to the end that you realize that so much here has been for naught. But then go back and read the beautiful lines. Look at the design and the art, which are so strangely satisfying. This is a gift book at its core. A book that hip adults buy for their nieces and nephews. It is also a book that sits on a shelf and is slipped off by a kid with curiosity, eschewing the other shiny books around it that look so very samey after a while. This book doesn’t look like anything but itself. It doesn’t read like anything but what it is. It is not flashy but it is weirdly engrossing. I think it could have been truly great, but there’s no shame in being merely grand. A book that bucks conformity with every pretty page. Swings big. Aims for the stars.
On shelves now.
Fred is grumpy, but she has every reason in the world to be. If you were constantly moving to new cities with your mom you might feel the same way. So when Fred has a particularly peevish night, telling her mother she has no interest in a birthday party with kids she doesn’t even know, she has no idea what’s coming next. Certainly not that she’d see her mom walk into a glowy, magical paper lantern in their living room. Or that by following she’d find herself in a land ruled by a mysterious Rat whose rules and ultimatums are never broken or challenged. Now, armed with several new friends, Fred is setting off to free the Rat, find her mother, and see if there’s any way to return home, if you can truly call a place you’ve just moved to that.
At its heart Rat Rule 79 is falling into the old Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland format. This is, I should note, probably the most difficult kind of children’s novel to attempt. On its surface it may feel rather freeing. You drop your main character into a fairy world rife with puns or bits of wordplay (or even numbers!) and you don’t have to fret about the trappings of reality. You’ll find books like The Phantom Tollbooth that replicate this model, but that’s sort of a best-case scenario. For the most part, such a book is very very difficult to maintain. We’re talking about books where character development is not the highest of priorities and where BIG ideas are on parade for the reader’s love. The advantage of such books is that they appeal to those child readers that enjoy feeling smart and clever because they’re getting a high percentage of what the author is saying. Yet the vast majority of these kinds of stories end up fairly forgotten. For Galchen to make Rat Rule 79 in that mold, she had to feel fairly confident that this was the only way this story could possibly go down. In a weird way, you gotta respect that.
There are choices that the book made that make a lot of sense to me. The chapter headings, for one, are an infinite source of enjoyment. Here’s just a sampling: “A Sorry Chapter. The Technically True Chapter. The Other Chapter. What Does This Chapter Look Like to You? Chapter Ate. The Empty Set. Interrogative Chapter. Chapter Grue.” They go on but you get the idea. At the book’s heart, it just seems to be having a lot of fun with the material. It seems strange to say but when an adult writer is reveling in cleverness, child readers will often tap into that enjoyment too. There are her descriptions, which can say things like, “Her spotted feathers looked humbly magnificent like the seed pattern in a kiwi.” There are the moments like the one where Fred figures out how to outwit the Rat’s visiting hours by being literally "on time". And there are the characters, the dialogue, the names and places, and the general sense that everything is going somewhere and that if you just follow long enough you might be able to get there too.
But at other times there were choices that just baffled me. Let us, for example, try to figure out what our heroine’s problem is. Fred and her mother, we are told at the start (in “Chapter Tuesday”) move from town to town for no particular reason. In the last six years they have moved five times. Ostensibly this is because Fred’s mother is a math professor. Her mom suggests they hold a birthday party and Fred isn’t interested. Soon thereafter her mother disappears into a giant lantern and Fred is determined to find her. But rather than focus on the problem of Fred having to find a home all the time, the book instead chooses to believe that the problem was Fred’s refusal to have a birthday party. She’s also, it can be said, supposed to find her mom, and there are little mysterious mom hints and clues spotted throughout the story. Indeed, when you take into account the subplot involving The Rat and her son, it seems that it would be natural for the course of the book to examine that particular relationship in some manner, however peripheral. And there is a bit of that here and there. Galchen is reaching out and attempting to grasp at some very big ideas, all wrapped up in children aging and birthdays and what it’s like for parents when their children get older. But because none of that ties into Fred’s central search, finding her mom, it feels as if the book is so close to coalescing into something brilliant, but didn’t quite get there. Which is a pity because it’s quite an enjoyable read.
For the record, I can find no flaw in the decision to tap artist Elena Megalos as the illustrator. This is, by all accounts, her first children’s book and she’s an ideal match for the material. From the charming endpapers showing an elephant dancing with an umbrella to the colors of the spot art (red, gray, black, and pink), to the little details in each of the characters (a mongoose mom wearing a sporting t-shirt and backpack), the art of Megalos is a consistent delight. In bedtime tales of this sort, art should come as a delectable treat every time it appears on a page. This art does precisely that. Tonally, it’s a perfect complement to Galchen’s particular form of levelheaded whimsy. You wouldn’t exchange the art here for anyone else’s in the world.
How much should you really demand from a children’s book? It’s a tricky question. On the one hand, I like my books for kids to be satisfying. And 90% of this book is precisely that. It’s only when you get to the end that you realize that so much here has been for naught. But then go back and read the beautiful lines. Look at the design and the art, which are so strangely satisfying. This is a gift book at its core. A book that hip adults buy for their nieces and nephews. It is also a book that sits on a shelf and is slipped off by a kid with curiosity, eschewing the other shiny books around it that look so very samey after a while. This book doesn’t look like anything but itself. It doesn’t read like anything but what it is. It is not flashy but it is weirdly engrossing. I think it could have been truly great, but there’s no shame in being merely grand. A book that bucks conformity with every pretty page. Swings big. Aims for the stars.
On shelves now.
shelved
July 6, 2019I love the illustrations. They’re kind of dry, and serious, and like antique urns. The story is like Phantom Tollbooth, Lemony Snicket, and Alice in Wonderland all smashed up and slightly drunk. I found myself both enjoying it and rolling my eyes a little.
April 26, 2019
Why not, 5 stars. It's weird, wild and whitty. A little Lemony Sniket a little Lewis Carroll, with a lot of heart. Fred is a very possible 12 year old set into the land of impossibility and tasked with finding the Rat Queen and her mom and the Rat Queen's Hart. (not in that order if Fred got her way) I was wholeheartedly won over by this book. The illustrations are very fun and yet elegant and subtle. I do have some minor complaints, like how we never really get to spend that much time with Fred and her mom outside of the fantasy world. The part of the wizard of Oz that no one remembers but is essential is when we see toto and the wizard in our reality. Sets up the characters and helps fold in the shift into fantasy world a little better. That being said please give this book a read probably good for 9-13 years old (I'm terrible with ages) it will warn your heart and Hart
December 9, 2019
The premise of Rat Rule 79 was incredibly cool and reminded me of the books I liked to read as a kid. It would be easy to create an alternate world full of characters who speak both bizarre statements and truth that felt like an Alice's Adventures in Wonderland rip-off. Somehow Rat Rule 79 feels entirely original in its quirky nonsense.
The concept of Fred going on this journey with several friends began to feel a bit tired towards the 75% mark. It at times felt like the author was more interested in showing how smart she was than in creating a story that emotionally resonated with the reader.
Overall, this is an entertaining story and I absolutely loved the illustrations in it.
The concept of Fred going on this journey with several friends began to feel a bit tired towards the 75% mark. It at times felt like the author was more interested in showing how smart she was than in creating a story that emotionally resonated with the reader.
Overall, this is an entertaining story and I absolutely loved the illustrations in it.
June 24, 2021
Yes, I did drop everything to read an intriguing-looking book that one of our priests lent to my mom. And...I'm not going to review it at the moment! I need to get some writing down today to retain my self-respect. XD But I'll be back tomorrow to talk about it, probably!
----
I'm back!
Okay, so this was like Alice in Wonderland except with LOGIC and I am definitely around for that! The author also understands children, and *chef's kiss*
Really, any book that references Zeno's Paradox, "Good Night Irene" AND "The Big Rock Candy Mountain" is a win in my opinion. ;)
Four stars!
----
I'm back!
Okay, so this was like Alice in Wonderland except with LOGIC and I am definitely around for that! The author also understands children, and *chef's kiss*
Really, any book that references Zeno's Paradox, "Good Night Irene" AND "The Big Rock Candy Mountain" is a win in my opinion. ;)
Four stars!
January 22, 2020
Rat Rule 79 has a lot of promise, and it almost delivers.
Fred, a precocious girl on the cusp of adulthood, is frustrated at her mom for a variety of very good reasons. She also is nervous about her upcoming birthday. When Fred goes to sleep that night, she steps into a dream-world where her mother has vanished and Fred herself has been imprisoned. She goes through a variety of adventures, meets some good new friends, and learns the true meaning of family.
This book reminded me of Alice in Wonderland and the Phantom Tollbooth, but it was trying a bit too hard. The various adventures that Fred gets up to aren't tied together very well, so there's not much tension to keep you going. There are a few mysteries in the book, but none of them really jump out as being important. I enjoyed the riddles and puzzles throughout the book, but felt that they sometimes weren't integrated into what else was happening.
I wish this book had been longer. More length could have been used to flesh out the problems that Fred was solving, why she cared about them, and how their solutions were impacting her. Instead, we just got hints of all of that. The book also needed to flesh out some of the problems between Fred and her mom.
That mother/daughter relationship is at the heart of the whole book, but the book ends without really resolving it. We learn how Fred sees things, and how another mother sees things, but never see how Fred's mom sees them.
I'm glad I read this book, and I'd recommend it to people who love a certain kind of weird nerdy fiction. I don't think I can recommend it unreservedly though.
Fred, a precocious girl on the cusp of adulthood, is frustrated at her mom for a variety of very good reasons. She also is nervous about her upcoming birthday. When Fred goes to sleep that night, she steps into a dream-world where her mother has vanished and Fred herself has been imprisoned. She goes through a variety of adventures, meets some good new friends, and learns the true meaning of family.
This book reminded me of Alice in Wonderland and the Phantom Tollbooth, but it was trying a bit too hard. The various adventures that Fred gets up to aren't tied together very well, so there's not much tension to keep you going. There are a few mysteries in the book, but none of them really jump out as being important. I enjoyed the riddles and puzzles throughout the book, but felt that they sometimes weren't integrated into what else was happening.
I wish this book had been longer. More length could have been used to flesh out the problems that Fred was solving, why she cared about them, and how their solutions were impacting her. Instead, we just got hints of all of that. The book also needed to flesh out some of the problems between Fred and her mom.
That mother/daughter relationship is at the heart of the whole book, but the book ends without really resolving it. We learn how Fred sees things, and how another mother sees things, but never see how Fred's mom sees them.
I'm glad I read this book, and I'd recommend it to people who love a certain kind of weird nerdy fiction. I don't think I can recommend it unreservedly though.
November 25, 2020
A new classic that deserves shelf space next to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Phantom Tollbooth, this is a delightful plunge into absurd logic, nonsense, and wordplay that includes wisdom and insight along with the fun. I can't wait to read it again and share it with my kids when they're old enough. I hope I get a Round Tuit soon. Maybe someone will give me one for my birthday.
February 18, 2022
it was fun and cute and strange but I found a better solution for the dot game she played with her mom and I'm upset that they didn't use my answer tbh I really thought I did something!
September 8, 2019
'The Phantom Tollbooth' meets 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.' A sweet and sour pickle of a fable.
July 21, 2021
Reminding of the same quirkiness as found in Alice in Wonderland, this book takes an original twist and dives into an unpredictable fantasy world.
Fred is as ordinary as her name. Unfortunately, her life is ordinary, too. So much so that Fred doesn't even know when her mother's birthday is (it's never been celebrated). One day, when Fred goes to the living room, she discovers her mother standing in front of a large lantern. This is only the beginning as Fred is taken to another realm and needs to search for her mother as well as solve all sorts of other issues along the way.
This is a book packed with humor, which relies on clever dialogue and unique situations. I did smile several times and even had to snort down a laugh once or twice. The play on words, twisted logic of the characters, and flipping everything upside-down, was intriguing and masterfully done. It doesn't talk down to the age group and places Fred in the perfect light for her age group. It's done in a heavy, narrative style with a narrator, who is clip, clear and adds tons of humor too. So, it's a fun read.
Plot wise, it's fine but could be better. There is always something going on...although much of the scenes depend on silly wit more than actual advancing of a plot. The characters do shine, and there's definitely never an overdose on descriptions. While some aspects pull through well and wrap up at the end, others (and in my opinion, the more obvious plot strings) are not tied and even ignored. For example, Fred and her mother have obvious problems, but these issues are never resolved nor does the tale work around them...although there is even a side plot which acts as a mirror to the issue. Plus, there were a few holes, where things were mentioned but never connected. Also, I'm not sure the humor itself will always hold readers' attention, since it pushes plot and action aside, sometimes.
The illustrations in this one are so much fun! I enjoyed each one and like the way they bring life to the world Fred is discovering. It makes the tale that much more grabbing and makes up for several missing descriptions. So, these do work hand-in-hand with the tale.
I did find this read fun and interesting, and believe that the right reader will enjoy it quite a bit. I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed the humor quite a bit.
Fred is as ordinary as her name. Unfortunately, her life is ordinary, too. So much so that Fred doesn't even know when her mother's birthday is (it's never been celebrated). One day, when Fred goes to the living room, she discovers her mother standing in front of a large lantern. This is only the beginning as Fred is taken to another realm and needs to search for her mother as well as solve all sorts of other issues along the way.
This is a book packed with humor, which relies on clever dialogue and unique situations. I did smile several times and even had to snort down a laugh once or twice. The play on words, twisted logic of the characters, and flipping everything upside-down, was intriguing and masterfully done. It doesn't talk down to the age group and places Fred in the perfect light for her age group. It's done in a heavy, narrative style with a narrator, who is clip, clear and adds tons of humor too. So, it's a fun read.
Plot wise, it's fine but could be better. There is always something going on...although much of the scenes depend on silly wit more than actual advancing of a plot. The characters do shine, and there's definitely never an overdose on descriptions. While some aspects pull through well and wrap up at the end, others (and in my opinion, the more obvious plot strings) are not tied and even ignored. For example, Fred and her mother have obvious problems, but these issues are never resolved nor does the tale work around them...although there is even a side plot which acts as a mirror to the issue. Plus, there were a few holes, where things were mentioned but never connected. Also, I'm not sure the humor itself will always hold readers' attention, since it pushes plot and action aside, sometimes.
The illustrations in this one are so much fun! I enjoyed each one and like the way they bring life to the world Fred is discovering. It makes the tale that much more grabbing and makes up for several missing descriptions. So, these do work hand-in-hand with the tale.
I did find this read fun and interesting, and believe that the right reader will enjoy it quite a bit. I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed the humor quite a bit.
Read
January 17, 2020An Alice in Wonderland for our time.
January 15, 2025
I don't know that I think this holds together all that well, but it's a lot of fun to read aloud.
February 1, 2022
Fun, silly, surreal. Loved the illustrations.
Want to read
September 11, 2019pw 9/2/19
July 4, 2019
Fred is angry at her mother for moving them to yet another new town, this time just before her birthday. Going to bed mad, Fred can't fall asleep. Sneaking out of her bedroom to get a snack she sees her mother going through an enormous paper lantern that wasn't there before and disappearing. Of course, Fred follows. Though she never does find her mother, she does find a strongly allegorical world populated by talking animals and ruled by a missing Rat who has imposed many rules included #79 that includes no birthdays and no growing up. It is an absurd little story with plenty of puns, word play, and math and logic problems. The allegory about growing up and reconciling mothers and daughters rather hits the reader over the head but the illustrations and adventures have enough humor and action to keep interest up.
Book Pairings:
Fans of Alice in Wonderland, The Little Prince, and The Phantom Tollbooth will find similar philosophical absurdity that is likely to appeal more to adults than to children.
Book Pairings:
Fans of Alice in Wonderland, The Little Prince, and The Phantom Tollbooth will find similar philosophical absurdity that is likely to appeal more to adults than to children.
October 15, 2019
Cute adventure tale. It wants to be clever and eccentric—and sometimes succeeds—but it doesn’t quite hold up to the comparative hype. There’s just something effortful about its idiosyncrasies. All those other titles (The Phantom Tollbooth, Alice and Wonderland, the Lemony Snicket books, and I would add everything by Catherine Valente) seem a lot less affected in the way they inhabit the absurd.
Still, a fun read with or for kids.
Still, a fun read with or for kids.
May 1, 2019
In a not so subtle nod to the late L. Frank Baum, Galchen creates an impossible land, filled with some charming creatures that help a 12 year old girl find the right way to get back home. Danger and unreason are defeated by logic and love. Original and beautiful illustrations by Elena Megalos. Recommended for ages 10 and up.
June 1, 2019
It's okay. I don't usually care much for nonsense novels like Alice in Wonderland, but this is one works well. It's a little tedious, and there are a lot of math references. Not my jam, but good enough
July 9, 2019
Riffs heavily on The Phantom Tollbooth and Alice in Wonderland. Has some good points to make about how adults construct children, but overall a bit low energy for my tastes.
Reviewed for childrenslit.com.
Reviewed for childrenslit.com.
May 16, 2024
As a Child, my favorite types of stories were imaginative, creative and adventurous. Books like the Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum, Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, and The Pagemaster by David Kirschner. Rat Rule 79 is a book I would've devoured as a child and reread each year. Oh heck, let me be honest this is still my favorite type of book. When an author builds a world that, like the Wizard of Oz, travels from real to imaginative you don't fall in accidentally, you willingly jump into the well, or in this case, walk through the paper lantern.
This book is about a girl named Fred who has moved too many times due to her mother being a mathematical professor. She is fed up with moving and being unsettled. No matter where she moves to at least, she has her "Unwritten Rulebook for Living's Truly Great Meals in Life": Peanut Butter and Pickles on Raisin bread sandwiches, and takeout Lo Mein Noodles. The latter for noodles being "ultra-scrumptious" but also because they came with fortune cookies. Fred and mom open their fortune cookies holding the strangest fortunes. One read "THANK YOU FOR GETTING ME OUT OF THERE!" and the other read, "LIFE IS TWO LOCKED BOXES, EACH CONTAINING THE OTHER'S KEY." Those fortune cookies according to Fred shows how pathetic the town is that they moved to. After much discussion about Fred's birthday the next day. Her mom suggests after going to school for a while maybe they could have a party for Fred. Fred tells her she wants nothing to do with her birthday, nor a party ever. Fred's mom tells her that after a night of sleep things will be better. Fred thinks that nothing can be solved by sleep as it is a whole bunch of nothingness. This is one of the "Two Most Useless Solutions" in her "Unwritten Rulebook for Living". The other useless solution is "knowing that you are loved." Fred says that she isn't tired and that her mom is ignoring the elephant in the room. She basically has nothing in her life and doesn't know anyone. Fred furies into her room. This is where the adventures start!
Rat Rule 79 has the greatest random chapter headings. Chapter names like Chapter Red, Negative Numbers, and A Normal Chapter. There are four colors ribboned throughout this book. There is a comforting fabric pattern that threads through the adventure keeping Fred tethered to home and again like the Wizard of Oz, there is a desired to find the one thing that returns her to where she belongs.
Fred makes friends along the way who are full of character. They are well developed -- some lovable and others you want to hate. Each character has a place in Rat Rule 79 and none make you wonder why they even exist. As in Alice in Wonderland the world that Fred enters is filled with irrationality, silliness, curiosity, and oddities that help Fred along the way.
Rat Rule 79 is truly a love story between mother and daughter and the journey it takes to come back to each other. I had deep reactions to this book as a mother whose children are now all out of the house and the rules that The Rat implements, although unfair to children and those who live a life filled with joyful fun, makes a whole heck of a lot of sense when reading it as an adult.
Elena Megalos' illustrations are fresh, riveting, and happy.
Jewish Canadian- American author, Rivka Galchen's debut novel for children will go down in history as one of those books that you fall in love with, and can't help but recommend to your family, friends and children around you. Like my copy of Rat Rule 79, I truly believe that other People’s copies (whether old or young) of this book will be worn in and worn out. Rat Rule 79 will be considered a classic decades from now. I, myself, have bought three hardcover copies (although I already own a soft-cover given to me by publisher Restless Books for my honest review) just so I can send one to each of my sister's families to read either by each child or by their family as a whole
This book is about a girl named Fred who has moved too many times due to her mother being a mathematical professor. She is fed up with moving and being unsettled. No matter where she moves to at least, she has her "Unwritten Rulebook for Living's Truly Great Meals in Life": Peanut Butter and Pickles on Raisin bread sandwiches, and takeout Lo Mein Noodles. The latter for noodles being "ultra-scrumptious" but also because they came with fortune cookies. Fred and mom open their fortune cookies holding the strangest fortunes. One read "THANK YOU FOR GETTING ME OUT OF THERE!" and the other read, "LIFE IS TWO LOCKED BOXES, EACH CONTAINING THE OTHER'S KEY." Those fortune cookies according to Fred shows how pathetic the town is that they moved to. After much discussion about Fred's birthday the next day. Her mom suggests after going to school for a while maybe they could have a party for Fred. Fred tells her she wants nothing to do with her birthday, nor a party ever. Fred's mom tells her that after a night of sleep things will be better. Fred thinks that nothing can be solved by sleep as it is a whole bunch of nothingness. This is one of the "Two Most Useless Solutions" in her "Unwritten Rulebook for Living". The other useless solution is "knowing that you are loved." Fred says that she isn't tired and that her mom is ignoring the elephant in the room. She basically has nothing in her life and doesn't know anyone. Fred furies into her room. This is where the adventures start!
Rat Rule 79 has the greatest random chapter headings. Chapter names like Chapter Red, Negative Numbers, and A Normal Chapter. There are four colors ribboned throughout this book. There is a comforting fabric pattern that threads through the adventure keeping Fred tethered to home and again like the Wizard of Oz, there is a desired to find the one thing that returns her to where she belongs.
Fred makes friends along the way who are full of character. They are well developed -- some lovable and others you want to hate. Each character has a place in Rat Rule 79 and none make you wonder why they even exist. As in Alice in Wonderland the world that Fred enters is filled with irrationality, silliness, curiosity, and oddities that help Fred along the way.
Rat Rule 79 is truly a love story between mother and daughter and the journey it takes to come back to each other. I had deep reactions to this book as a mother whose children are now all out of the house and the rules that The Rat implements, although unfair to children and those who live a life filled with joyful fun, makes a whole heck of a lot of sense when reading it as an adult.
Elena Megalos' illustrations are fresh, riveting, and happy.
Jewish Canadian- American author, Rivka Galchen's debut novel for children will go down in history as one of those books that you fall in love with, and can't help but recommend to your family, friends and children around you. Like my copy of Rat Rule 79, I truly believe that other People’s copies (whether old or young) of this book will be worn in and worn out. Rat Rule 79 will be considered a classic decades from now. I, myself, have bought three hardcover copies (although I already own a soft-cover given to me by publisher Restless Books for my honest review) just so I can send one to each of my sister's families to read either by each child or by their family as a whole
November 30, 2019
See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsfi...
RAT RULE 79 is charming, ridiculous, and completely engaging. Fred is about to turn thirteen in a new place, as she and her mother keep moving. She does not have any friends yet and feels completely awkward, to the point that she would rather just not have a birthday party. After she goes to bed, she decides to come back and speak with her mother some more, when she sees her mother dressed for a party, stepping through a large paper lantern.
Fred follows to find herself in the Land of Impossibility, where she first encounters an imprisoned white elephant, Downer, who explains the basics about the Land and its Rat Queen, particularly her many rules and the very important Rat Rule 79, where so many things are outlawed, including birthday parties. As Fred begins her quest to find her mother, she will encounter puzzles, riddles, and all sorts of magnificent and clever creatures.
What I loved: This is a very thoughtful book that presents a lot of ideas in interesting and reflective ways (such as why children must go to bed when they feel less need for sleep but adults, who love sleep, stay up late). The text and characters are completely charming, often taking colloquialisms to the literal (e.g. when people could not talk about the elephant in the room, Downer was ignored for being that elephant). It is very humorous and quite clever that makes it an engaging read, even for adults. The book is also quite unique, as I am not sure I have read anything quite like it.
I also really enjoyed the celebration of childhood, as children are the best thing in the world in the Land of Impossibility. The snippets from Fred with her mother were also marvelous, and some of the puzzles and games quite imaginative.
Final verdict: In the vein of Lemony Snicket, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, and THE WIZARD OF OZ, prepare to be transported to a fascinating, clever, and often comical land along with Fred, as she begins an incredible journey. Highly recommend for middle grade (and all aged) readers who are looking for a book that does not fit any mold.
Please note that I received a review copy. All opinions are my own.
RAT RULE 79 is charming, ridiculous, and completely engaging. Fred is about to turn thirteen in a new place, as she and her mother keep moving. She does not have any friends yet and feels completely awkward, to the point that she would rather just not have a birthday party. After she goes to bed, she decides to come back and speak with her mother some more, when she sees her mother dressed for a party, stepping through a large paper lantern.
Fred follows to find herself in the Land of Impossibility, where she first encounters an imprisoned white elephant, Downer, who explains the basics about the Land and its Rat Queen, particularly her many rules and the very important Rat Rule 79, where so many things are outlawed, including birthday parties. As Fred begins her quest to find her mother, she will encounter puzzles, riddles, and all sorts of magnificent and clever creatures.
What I loved: This is a very thoughtful book that presents a lot of ideas in interesting and reflective ways (such as why children must go to bed when they feel less need for sleep but adults, who love sleep, stay up late). The text and characters are completely charming, often taking colloquialisms to the literal (e.g. when people could not talk about the elephant in the room, Downer was ignored for being that elephant). It is very humorous and quite clever that makes it an engaging read, even for adults. The book is also quite unique, as I am not sure I have read anything quite like it.
I also really enjoyed the celebration of childhood, as children are the best thing in the world in the Land of Impossibility. The snippets from Fred with her mother were also marvelous, and some of the puzzles and games quite imaginative.
Final verdict: In the vein of Lemony Snicket, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, and THE WIZARD OF OZ, prepare to be transported to a fascinating, clever, and often comical land along with Fred, as she begins an incredible journey. Highly recommend for middle grade (and all aged) readers who are looking for a book that does not fit any mold.
Please note that I received a review copy. All opinions are my own.
August 5, 2021
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
2.5 stars, rounded to 3
It's funny that Lemony Snicket's very praising review is the opener of this book (at least my review copy, and I mean the praise page that often opens a book). Of course Lemony Snicket loved it! How could he not? Something about Rat Rule 79 is so much like his own books. I can't put my finger on it, but it feels like both the writing style, as well as the plot, has a lot of the same feel.
...Aaaand that's precisely why I didn't really vibe with this book. It was fine, and cute, but... There's just so much randomness. A lot of it barely made any sense, sometimes simply didn't. I don't enjoy that much randomness. (Or maybe I'm too adult and boring or something.)
I'm also sad to say that I didn't understand the point of the story or the ending. After finishing, I shrugged, backtracked and... Still didn't get it. What did I just read? I'm not sure what happened. I completely and utterly missed the whole idea :( Those are at least five or six questions after finishing the book, and I'm sure even more of them went unanswered.
But! Safe to say, if you loved Lemony Snicket's style, you will probably adore this book too. There are many people who did - so I'm assuming the rest of the reviews for Rat Rule 79 will be glowing! The book really is cute, the illustrations very unique and cool. The story was good too. And of course, the randomness - uniquely random. And - the author clearly has a lot of love for math, cause the story is sprinkled with a lot of very particular math facts, curiosities and details.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Book Blog | Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
2.5 stars, rounded to 3
It's funny that Lemony Snicket's very praising review is the opener of this book (at least my review copy, and I mean the praise page that often opens a book). Of course Lemony Snicket loved it! How could he not? Something about Rat Rule 79 is so much like his own books. I can't put my finger on it, but it feels like both the writing style, as well as the plot, has a lot of the same feel.
...Aaaand that's precisely why I didn't really vibe with this book. It was fine, and cute, but... There's just so much randomness. A lot of it barely made any sense, sometimes simply didn't. I don't enjoy that much randomness. (Or maybe I'm too adult and boring or something.)
I'm also sad to say that I didn't understand the point of the story or the ending. After finishing, I shrugged, backtracked and... Still didn't get it. What did I just read? I'm not sure what happened. I completely and utterly missed the whole idea :( Those are at least five or six questions after finishing the book, and I'm sure even more of them went unanswered.
But! Safe to say, if you loved Lemony Snicket's style, you will probably adore this book too. There are many people who did - so I'm assuming the rest of the reviews for Rat Rule 79 will be glowing! The book really is cute, the illustrations very unique and cool. The story was good too. And of course, the randomness - uniquely random. And - the author clearly has a lot of love for math, cause the story is sprinkled with a lot of very particular math facts, curiosities and details.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Book Blog | Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
January 27, 2022
An odd but charming little book that takes you on a journey through a mystical world of talking animals as our main character searches for her mother. We read "Rat Rule 79" as a family read-aloud, and the general consensus is that this was both weird and entertaining. The kids always wanted me to read just a little bit more each night, and the blissfully short chapters propelled us through it in no time.
In "Rat Rule 79," our main character Fred has just moved with her mother to a new town, just before her thirteenth birthday. It seems that moves are common for Fred and her mother, who is a math professor (though we never get explanation for why they move so much). Her mom would like to throw a birthday party for her, but Fred sees no point when she's in a new town and knows no one, so she goes to bed in a huff. There, she struggles to sleep, and eventually arises just in time to see her mother disappear into a large lantern in their living room. She follows after her, and emerges in a mystical world where she meets the Elephant in the Room, the Know-it-Owl, and the Round Tuits, among others.
The book is quirky and playful right from the start, with nontraditional chapter "numbering." Woven throughout the story are some fun logic puzzles on which our family enjoyed flexing our brains. And underlying the odd adventures is a message for kids to unearth: one about acceptance of growing out of childhood, and parents' complex feelings on entering this new stage.
While I had fun reading this, I can't help but come away feeling it could have been so much more. I think the message is helpful for kids to develop empathy for their parents, but it was also a little confusing to see the book focus on that rather than the more overt emotions of moving to a new town. In many ways, too little was left explained, and the ending fell just a little bit short of resolution. It's still a fun read, but just go into it expecting that it's not going to offer kids a whole lot more than fun tongue-twisters and puzzles -- not every book needs to be deeply meaningful, so honestly, that's fine.
In "Rat Rule 79," our main character Fred has just moved with her mother to a new town, just before her thirteenth birthday. It seems that moves are common for Fred and her mother, who is a math professor (though we never get explanation for why they move so much). Her mom would like to throw a birthday party for her, but Fred sees no point when she's in a new town and knows no one, so she goes to bed in a huff. There, she struggles to sleep, and eventually arises just in time to see her mother disappear into a large lantern in their living room. She follows after her, and emerges in a mystical world where she meets the Elephant in the Room, the Know-it-Owl, and the Round Tuits, among others.
The book is quirky and playful right from the start, with nontraditional chapter "numbering." Woven throughout the story are some fun logic puzzles on which our family enjoyed flexing our brains. And underlying the odd adventures is a message for kids to unearth: one about acceptance of growing out of childhood, and parents' complex feelings on entering this new stage.
While I had fun reading this, I can't help but come away feeling it could have been so much more. I think the message is helpful for kids to develop empathy for their parents, but it was also a little confusing to see the book focus on that rather than the more overt emotions of moving to a new town. In many ways, too little was left explained, and the ending fell just a little bit short of resolution. It's still a fun read, but just go into it expecting that it's not going to offer kids a whole lot more than fun tongue-twisters and puzzles -- not every book needs to be deeply meaningful, so honestly, that's fine.
February 7, 2020
very clever writing for young readers. Galchen uses many "play on words" and references to other books and characters through out this book. I do think it drags on a bit though...there were many little clever sections I underlined.. The chapter headings are unusual. The story of Fred and her mother and their relationship has similar threads to both Wizard of Oz and Alice In Wonderland..
Fred is upset because she and her mother keep moving and now with this new move just before Fred's birthday, she has no friends to celebrate with. She ends up in a strange land with unusual creatures searching for her mother. In this strange land there is a Rat Queen, who has enacted Rat Rule 79, which outlaws birthdays. As Fred gathers friends and searches for her mother she helps everyone including the Rat Queen learn an important lesson.
Fred is upset because she and her mother keep moving and now with this new move just before Fred's birthday, she has no friends to celebrate with. She ends up in a strange land with unusual creatures searching for her mother. In this strange land there is a Rat Queen, who has enacted Rat Rule 79, which outlaws birthdays. As Fred gathers friends and searches for her mother she helps everyone including the Rat Queen learn an important lesson.
January 29, 2020
3.5-4 stars. This is Wonderland and Oz for the 21st century. Fred is 12 years old and it's the eve of her 13th birthday. She and her mother have moved yet again, and yet again she finds herself in a new place with no friends. After an argument, Fred retreats to her unfamiliar bedroom only to re-emerge to see her mother step into a lantern and disasppear. She follows and finds herself in what only be a dungeon with an elephant in the room. And so it goes. There are ridiculous rules, strange beings, etc. But Fred is intent on one thing: finding her mother and ultimately going home. This was one of NPR's recommended books of 2020. I read this for my 2020 Reading Challenge (20 in 20 "book with illustrations") and theoretically my Hugo nominations (possibly Lodestar?).
May 12, 2022
I was really looking forward to reading this book. It's a quirky kids book with beautiful illustrations and has been compared to a modern-day Phantom Tollbooth.
However this book was more about quirkiness than good story/plot. I understand why it's been compared to The Phantom Tollbooth, because of all the puns and wordplay, but I felt unlike Phantom Tollbooth, this book focuses more on wordplay and puns and lacked in character and plot. There were too many throwaway parts for the sake of having some interesting riddles/jokes/puzzles.
I suppose it was more like Alice in Wonderland, which is another book I don't really like.
However the book has some beautiful illustrations and the world was pretty cool.
However this book was more about quirkiness than good story/plot. I understand why it's been compared to The Phantom Tollbooth, because of all the puns and wordplay, but I felt unlike Phantom Tollbooth, this book focuses more on wordplay and puns and lacked in character and plot. There were too many throwaway parts for the sake of having some interesting riddles/jokes/puzzles.
I suppose it was more like Alice in Wonderland, which is another book I don't really like.
However the book has some beautiful illustrations and the world was pretty cool.
February 18, 2023
It was cute and funny! I am just absolutely not the right audience for it, I think. Some said it reminded them a bit of Alice in Wonderland, and I wasn’t wild with that book, either. It’s a nonsensical book full of adventure and mischief, but I found it /too/ nonsensical for the sake of being nonsensical. I skipped a good few chapters, and wasn’t a fan of the ending. I did, however, like the narrator, and the illustrations were cute. I still recommended it to my kids with no mention of what I didn’t like! They seemed enamored with the chapter titles, so hopefully this book has been found by its target audience.
June 15, 2025
When I was a child, I loved Phantom Tollbooth. Still do. The blurb is BS to make that comparison.
If this were a better book, I'd compare it to Alice in Wonderland or Amy's Eyes.
But I would have despised this as a child. Still do. I care about the characters not at all. Nothing is satisfying or joyful or even amusing here.
I give it a star for the game of Draw a Squiggle and Place a Dot. Oh, and the vocabulary word (also Scrabble word) zeugma (though it doesn't use it the way my online sources say it should be).
If this were a better book, I'd compare it to Alice in Wonderland or Amy's Eyes.
But I would have despised this as a child. Still do. I care about the characters not at all. Nothing is satisfying or joyful or even amusing here.
I give it a star for the game of Draw a Squiggle and Place a Dot. Oh, and the vocabulary word (also Scrabble word) zeugma (though it doesn't use it the way my online sources say it should be).
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews