Passion in a cause wrapped inside a painful family drama.

Natalie has always looked after her little sister, Lily a fair amount. Now she's finding she's even more needed when her parents' Revolutionary friends seem to be camped out at their house before an election and her mum leaves them to stay at Grandma's house.

When Dad's new girlfriend and his son move in, 12-year-old Natalie is confused and feels out of control of the situation, even with some words of wisdom from Dad's friend Bernard. Taking her pet rat to school for comfort, wanting to be a Revolutionary herself and inspired to find herself a cause to fight for, Natalie determines that she's going to show her fellow students how their preconceptions about rats are misguided... by giving dozens of them away at the Christmas Fayre.

My heart went out to Natalie and Lily. I was so angry with their dad for handling the separation and election prep the way he did. And their mum, though you can understand her depression and needing space... as a parent reading this I know I'll be focusing on very different things to the majority of the readership. But I couldn't help it.

On the other hand, I admired young Natalie greatly, doing her best to step up, coping valiantly with the sudden change to her home situation. How she handles being a big sister. Lily is adorably written, very sweet and clearly in awe of her sibling.

I liked the amalgamation of the two stories, and the whole idea of being a revolutionary. It was good to see both stories come to sensible and positive conclusions.

For ages 9-13.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

This charming and original middle grade novel is packed full of positivity and empathy while challenging prejudices and showing young readers just how small people can make a big difference - I loved the accessible introduction to politics from the viewpoint of 12 year old Nat.
A really enjoyable read with endearing characters, a relatable family set up and, last but not least, an array of fabulously named pet rats (I'm with Avinash - Iron Paw was the coolest!). Brilliant stuff.