Year 5 are dressed up for a day at ‘Olden Days School’ and Lenny has brought along the most olden-days surprise ever. There will be a prize for whichever class does best, and usually 5A win everything. They have perfect costumes, a perfect play – they even line up in the playground perfectly. But Lenny’s determined that 5B will win it this year. Once everyone sees his olden-times rat, the prize is as good as won.

But then Ratty escapes… and the hilarity begins.

This is a very funny story. Lenny and his friends try to catch Ratty with increasingly destructive results, and of course learn something about friendship along the way. The action and humour are pitched perfectly at seven and eight year olds. Meanwhile, the short chapters, large font and energetic illustrations make it super appealing and accessible to all levels of reader. Great for fans of Pamela Butchart and Jo Simmons.