Careful What You Wish For

From a master storyteller, here is a warm and funny, yet heartfelt, novel for younger readers. 11-year-old Ruth is stuck with a family who just don’t understand her. It takes a magical encounter with the sharp-nosed and even-sharper-tongued Rodney the Rat to help her see what’s really important.

They felt the oncoming trains way before they saw or heard anything. The bridge would shudder a little and then there would be a clanking that built to a roar. Ruth and Mary Ellen would hold hands and shut their eyes.
‘Here it comes, Ruthie! Here it comes!’
‘And it’s coming for us!’
‘Make a wish!’
‘You too. Make a wish!’
Ruth adored her Aunt Mary-Ellen. Mary-Ellen travelled to exotic places, wore stylish clothes and read interesting books. And Ruth felt as though she was the only one who really understood. But now Aunt Mary-Ellen is gone and Ruth is desperate to escape from her annoying family and so-called friends.
Just when she thinks there’s no way out, help arrives from a very unexpected quarter. But just how helpful is it to get exactly what you wish for?