Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat

by Lynne Jonell
Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat  
published August 7th 2007 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
binding Hardcover
isbn 080508150X   (isbn13: 9780805081503)
pages 352
description Emmy was a good girl.At least she tried very hard to be good. She did her homework without being told. She ate all her vegetables, even the slimy ones...more
date added
06-29-07



Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat.







discuss this book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »




friend reviews (0)

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.



lists with this book

This book is not in any lists. Go add it to a list.




other reviews (showing 1-20 of 119)



Elizabeth
Elizabeth rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
09/07/07

Read in August, 2007
It's easy to become jaded. Read enough children's fiction and it all begins to swim and swirl about in your head. Was that the middle grade novel about a girl who likes a boy with twinkling blue eyes or deep brown ones you just read? Did that historical fiction work involve a plucky boy working in a coalmine or a plucky girl in a mill? And fantasy? Don't get me started. If the villains don't burst onto the scene in the first chapter it's the exception rather than the rule. I gotta say though tha...more
Like this review?   yes   (1 person liked it)
  5 comments

Gwen the Librarian
Gwen the Librarian rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
09/12/07

bookshelves: kidlit
Read in September, 2007
recommends it for: EVERYONE
Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat, by Lynne Jonell, is extremely well-written, with bathroom humor, pathos, and believable and sympathetic characters of both the human and rodent kind.

Emmy is a very rich, very lonely little girl. Her parents are constantly going off on long trips and leaving her with a horrible nanny, Miss Barmy. Worse, she recently changed schools and no one in her class acts like she exists. When Emmy starts hearing the class pet rat talking to her, a whole excitin...more
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Tony
Tony rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
03/18/08

Read in January, 2008
I'm attending a conference on childrens' literature, and this was one of the juvenile fiction offerings. So far it's my second or third favorite out of all of the full length novel sized works. Some elements of the book tread into cliche, but given the reading level it's extremely enjoyable. The plot is simple, and direct, without being self indulgent (which is a problem I've had with a lot of the other works). Overall it's entertaining while still having substance (another problem, I've fou...more
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Eva
Eva rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
04/29/08

bookshelves: children, fantasy
Read in April, 2008
Emmy has two rich parents but she might as well be an orphan - although they seem to love her, they are forever jaunting around the world, leaving her with Miss Barmy, the Nanny from Hell. It seems that Miss Barmy has been using magic to meddle with just about everything in Emmy's life - which explains why she seems to be all but invisible to her classmates and teachers, and why her parents seem to be able to ignore her so often. Luckily, Emmy's classroom rat, Rat, turns out to have an amazing...more
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

fairrosa
fairrosa rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
09/01/07

bookshelves: 4-6grade, childrensbooks, magicalstories, readingjournalfeed
Read in August, 2007
It's impressive how Jonell manages to inform the readers of all characters' personalities, feelings, and actions without ever straying away from Emmy's perspective: readers only know what she sees, hears, and thinks. The outlandish circumstances with all the super(magical?)-powers of the rodents are accompanied by a gentle tale of friendship, longing for parental love, and the essence of stable families. I mentally applauded the several jabs at the absurdity of the over-scheduling of our child...more
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Michelle BF
Michelle BF rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
07/15/08

bookshelves: kidsandteenbooks
Read in July, 2008
My daughter and I discovered that if you "flush" the pages really fast the illustrations come together and show an animation of the rat in the story falling off a tree limb and into Emmy's hand.

My daughter enjoyed this book with its host of rodent characters and a girl named Emmy. Emmy's family ends up wealthy but they start acting strange, taking trips and forgetting about her. In fact, her classmates treat her as if she were invisible. What is that nanny up to?

So there was...more
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Sarah
Sarah rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
11/26/07

Read in November, 2007
Really more like 3 and a half stars... I definitely liked the imaginative part of the story. There was a very fun-- if not totally original-- plot, with lots of great touches. The message, on the other hand, was pretty heavy handed. Not that I necessarily disagreed with many of the points about modern parenting, but the presentation did feel somewhat didactic. And okay, I get the cultural anxiety about leaving children to the care of nannies-- but do nannies always have to be the bad guys in co...more
Like this review?   yes  
  2 comments

The Library Lady
The Library Lady rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
01/26/08

bookshelves: childrens-fiction
Funny and creative. I've seen some people comment that they think has an old fashioned feel and should have had a Victorian setting, but I don't think that the time frame really makes a difference.There isn't tons about cell phones or the Internet here--this book could have been written as easily in 1958 as 2008, and as a result, this has a timeless feel to it and won't date quickly. Nor do I think that kids will be quick to find a message in this about overscheduled kids or narcissistic parents...more
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Kirsten
Kirsten rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
01/24/08

bookshelves: from-library, work-related
Read in December, 2007
recommends it for: fans of kidlit, rat lovers
This is a fun, lighthearted fantasy that mainly involves rodents with unusual properties and a wonderfully old-fashioned evil governess. I almost felt that this book would work better if it were set in a time other than the modern day, simply because so many of the plot elements seemed rather old-fashioned and Victorian. At times I felt that Jonell tried to cram too many complex plot elements into one book, but overall it was a fast, enjoyable read. Plus it doubles as a flipbook.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Christina
Christina rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
11/27/07

bookshelves: kidbooks
Read in November, 2007
A fun modern day fantasy, perhaps a little overdone with it's obvious pleas for less scheduled children, and for the upper classes to be more involved with their children.
Emmy was very likable, and the Ms. Barmy was wonderfully loathsome. The Rat was in the Templeton vein of rodents, but a rat would be wouldn't he.
I enjoyed it much more than this review would seem- must be my harried attitude before a long flight tomorrow!
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Debbie
Debbie rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
03/28/08

bookshelves: 4th-6th_grade, fantasy
Read in March, 2008
I really counldn't get into this fantasy book, but it will definately find an audience among 5th graders (esp. girls). It's the story of Emmy who is a very good girl. She never misbehaves even though her parents ignore her (they travel) and her teachers ans fellow students don't seem to know that she exists. Until one day Emmy sits next to the classroom rat, and the rat starts to talk to her.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Kris
Kris rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
02/03/08

bookshelves: kid-stuff
Read in February, 2008
This was an entertaining book with terrific illustrations. Emmy is a smart, good-hearted little girl who takes on some menacing adults to try to make things right in her world. With an attention-starved rat as a sidekick, and a lot of new friends to help her along, her adventure's one worth reading.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Theresa
Theresa rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
11/20/07

bookshelves: children-s-read-aloud
Read in November, 2007
recommends it for: everyone
This was such a fun book! A very inventive plot, sympathetic characters. If you chose a theme for this book it would be family is vastly more important than money, and the best thing is to spend all the time you can with your family. My kids were enthralled, and they are 8, 12 and 15!
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Sarah
Sarah rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
03/16/08

This book has many great things to say about rats, is fanciful, has you cheering for the good guys, but rambles a bit. Still, I am glad I read it and would definitely recommend it to any reader in third grade or up. Interesting PR for the rodents of the world.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Maggi
Maggi rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
12/20/07

bookshelves: middle-grade
Read in December, 2007
Roald Dahl meets Charlotte's Web! The story is fast-paced, the characters three-dimensional, but it's so derivative of The Witches and Matilda that I couldn't give it five stars. Really fun, though, and a great recommendation for both boys and girls.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Melissa
Melissa rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
01/18/08

Read in January, 2008

I liked this book more than I thought I would. It's a mixture of mystery and adventure with more than a little magic thrown in. The fast pace and villainous grownups ala Lemony Snicket make it a good book to recommend to both girls and boys.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Amy
Amy rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
02/19/08

bookshelves: 4th-6thgrade, fantasy
Read in February, 2008
This book has an evil Nanny, parents who are always taking a trip, kids who never pay attention to the main character, a talking rat and a shocking discovery. It's great! A good book by a new author.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Wanda
Wanda rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
03/27/08

Read in February, 2008
What happens when you are bit by a rat? Find out in this book about Emmy and the classroom pet rat. This is a good story suitable for intermediate students with plenty of adventure and plot twists.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Trish
Trish rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
02/05/08

Read in February, 2008
enjoyable story of a lonely girl who befriends a talking rat and uncovers a web of deceit at which her nanny is the center. fantasy without being too confusing.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Spiderwickgirl
Spiderwickgirl rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
06/21/08

Read in March, 2008
recommended to Spiderwickgirl by: I found it at the library
This is a really unique story. I have never read anything like it before. All the rodents have powers, like shrinking and stuff. I really liked this book.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment


« previous 1 3 4 5 6



book data (includes all editions)

avg rating (all editions): 3.99 (76 ratings)
avg rating (this edition): 4.00 (74 ratings)
number of reviews: 32






other editions

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat (Paperback)