SOLVED. Children's fiction - Story about children who find an enormous rat living in a labyrinth under their castle/ house. [s]

[The Book Squirrel]

I read this when I was a child in the 80s/early 90s.

As I recall, it's about a boy who goes to live with distant relatives (a girl cousin perhaps?) in a huge old house, maybe a mansion or castle. There are strange things happening, and something to do with a lake on the property.

There's a labyrinth of caverns/caves/cellars/tunnels under the house, but people have been lost in them, so they are off limits.

But the children have to go investigating. I think they go down into the tunnels with string to find their way but it doesn't work? Then they try again and go down and draw with chalk on the sides of the tunnels to find their way, and they find an ENORMOUS mouse/rat (an "enormouse"). The enormouse has wiped away their chalk marks on the walls with its furry body as it's come after them. They run away and end up coming out of the tunnels somewhere in the grounds.

I THINK perhaps they used the lake to flood the tunnels and kill the enormouse?

I'm wondering if in fact this might be "Freddie and the enormouse" by Hugh Scott, but I'm not sure and wonder if anyone else has read this and can verify the plot?

Thanks!

[Capn]

The (auto) translation of the Italian review on GR by user Soobie's heartbroken is here:
The story of poor Freddie who finds himself living in a castle with a pond to swim in. At first she doesn't find it very well, also because she finds it hard to get along with her cousin Anaglypta (poor puppy, what name did they give her) but then, all together - and her cousin Lindsay - they set out on the trail of a mysterious creature moving under the castle.

Perhaps Alberto Rebori's drawings have something to do with it. I don't really like them but they're familiar to me by now. Humans with ears on their heads like teddy bears are hard to digest at first, but then, one gets used to it... ^__^

Soobie at twelve:

Beautiful book. Freddie is a boy whose mother has recently died and so he moves to some uncles who live in an old castle called Villa dei Topi. And here the adventures will begin.




other cover - maybe that'll cinch it for you?:


Freddie and the Enormouse - sadly not on OpenLibrary! :(

copies for sale: https://www.bookfinder.com/search/?ac...

Wish I could help more - there are many "Enormouse pl." (Enormice?) out there, but your suggestion is the only one I can find of that era. I think you may have found it. ;)

[The Book Squirrel]

Capn wrote: "The (auto) translation of the Italian review on GR by user Soobie's heartbroken is here:
The story of poor Freddie who finds himself living in a castle with a pond to swim in. At first she doesn't ..."

I'm not 100% convinced by Soobie's review, but maybe something got lost in translation, but that second cover might be it. Other than that, I'm reasonably sure and I'll accept that this has to be the book.

Thanks for your help :)

[Capn]

Pleasure. :)

[Capn]

Hey, I stumbled on this just now:

Features a fantasy about four children who are stranded in a mysterious gothic house. There are wolves prowling at the door and escape seems impossible, until they discover a whole new world under the house. With the help of the inhabitants, the rats, who live there, the children realize there might be one last chance at freedom after all.
The House of Rats - 1991


A quick search of OL didn't bring up "Enormous" or "Enormouse", but since you were never totally convinced, I thought I'd mention this one. :) https://openlibrary.org/works/OL24831...