Move over mice of the literary world!  You may be cute (and some of you may have a motorcycle), but rats can be noble creatures, too, as we learn in Malcolm at Midnight by W.H. Beck.  This winsome middle grade novel is a mystery featuring an eclectic group of elementary school classroom pets.  The tenacious hero of the story is Malcolm, an under-sized rat, who is often mistaken for a mouse.  Malcolm sets out to put things right, help some friends, and show the world that rats can be more than people think.  Amidst the adventure, Beck deftly weaves in some themes that elementary students can relate to:  friendship, loyalty, self-identity, and self-acceptance.  Darling and plentiful illustrations by Brian Lies are the perfect complement to this charming book.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  None

Violence/Gore:  Verbal threats by animals to other animals; an animal bites a human’s finger; a few instances of animals biting or scratching another animal; pet-napping.

Sex/Nudity:  None

Mature Subject Matter:

None

Alcohol / Drug Use:

None