Helen Potter, a victim of child abuse, is a runaway living on the streets of London. The only trustworthy friend she has is a tame rat, that is, until it is killed by a stray cat. She comes across many shady and violent characters during her trek through the city. Helen’s only comfort now is the “ghost” rat that she talks to. Her journey is leading her to the home of Beatrix Potter, her favorite writer and artist.

This book contains some elements of how (unfortunately) some teenagers go through life; trouble with parents, sexual abuse, and running away. It was hard for me to comprehend at first because of the English slang used, so, I had to look over it a few times to understand. I also found it to be very interesting to read because of all of the pictures. Although the characters didn’t have much dialogue, the drawings caught their expressions and body language similar to watching a movie. I wasn’t looking forward to this genre, comic books never interested me, but, I became fascinated by the story line. It is also a very quick read, and the students can use their imagination to add more to the story as they study the pictures. The Bad Rat series has been used by psychiatrists in helping victims of child abuse and sexual abuse deal, cope, and heal. ( )