Lenny Lemmon and the Invincible Rat

Lenny Lemmon is one of those children who tries his best- has great intention - but things seem to go wrong..So for a Victorian themed class day during school history day he decides to bring along a surprise to represent the period … a rat !( He just happened to trap ) Unfortunately, the rat escapes and all sorts of calamities take place involving friends , the class and eventually the entire school. This is primarily a comical story infused with messages about friendship, camaraderie and recognising that even the best intentions can have repercussions. This is a great story for lower key stage 2 and certainly a lovely detour from the likes of Wimpy Kid / Tom Gates ( more reading -less imagery ) - it is accessible and fun and James Lancett’s illustrations add to the wild caper. It would be great to read more about Lenny Lemmon in the future particularly as we learn his dad is a not very successful inventor -of items such as the elderly ladies app insta gran! I’m sure Lenny could add a “ helping hand “ along with his friends .An enjoyable fast paced read

Definitely a book that hits the funny bone. When Lenny catches a wild rat and takes it in to school for a Victorian school day, he did not bet on the animal escaping and causing mayhem. There is a great deal of fun and laughter as the children try and capture the rat and stop the school going in to meltdown. A great read for the 7-9 age group

This would be a super class story time book. There are characters that will appeal to everyone and some real laugh-out-loud moments which are perfect to share with others. Throughout, you can almost see, in slow-motion, what is going to happen before it actually does as Lenny tries to correct his latest error. The illustrations add to the general mayhem and chaos and will add to the appeal for LKS2 children.
My class will love this! It will appeal to their sense of humour and mischief.

Released today, Lenny Lemmon and the Invincible Rat is an hilarious caper and history lesson (sort of) rolled into one. It's perfect for those who love a school setting drama and maybe not so perfect for those - like me - who don't like devilish rodents. But don't worry, you're safe! This unleashed rat is safely contained within the pages of the book in a story so funny that I can't imagine anyone not enjoying it.

It's Olden Days Day at Lenny Lemmon's school and he's super excited. But when his Olden Day 'Show and Tell' contribution - a wild rat in a box - escapes, pandemonium reigns across the school. Can Lenny, his best mate and new girl, Jessica catch the cunning culprit of chaos before too much damage is done?

With themes of friendship, fitting in and good old fashioned school rivalry, this is an upbeat, action-packed spoof that places humour right at the top of the menu alongside a bowl of gruel, a bag of flour and chunks of cheese. The villainous rat is star of the show, closely followed by a relatable Lenny and an awesome Jessica who's both hilarious and unexpected. Surely this is the worst day at school anyone could ever have?

The simple plot is elevated into something special by Ben Davis' lively writing, spot-on dialogue and genius comic timing. Accompanied by James Lancett's fabulous illustrations - that rat's expression says it all - it is the perfect text for reluctant readers; short, accessible and with lots of white space on the page. If funny books are in demand, and I keep hearing they are, then this is an absolute winner, ratty and all.

This short illustrated book is so much fun. Lenny's teacher didn't expect him to turn up with a rat in a box for their 'Olden Days' day at school so when it escapes, hilarity ensues. I'm a sucker for funny stories set in realistic modern classrooms and Lenny's dress-up day was so authentic to the ones we have in my school (thankfully without a rat escape so far) that it was very relatable. Lenny is a likeable main character who means well but doesn't always get things right. The length, pitch and complexity of the story is perfect for 6-10 year olds reading independently and I think it's going to be a popular series.

This story by Ben Davis was everything it promised from the front cover. Mad adventures caused by an escaped, invincible rat in a school and a title character full of mischief.
The chapter titles alone are enough to get you laughing! Lenny brings in a rat he has caught for the special olden day school day but they soon find it has escaped, pretty much evades any capture attempts and causes absolute chaos in its wake. It is up to misunderstood/cheeky Lenny and his friend to save the day with a cool new girl to help them.

I’m going to let you into a sec-rat…this first in a new series of lively, illustrated reads is totally rat-ical! Children, adults, librarians and teachers are always on the look-out for funny chapter books and this is definitely one to add to the shelves.

The pupils in Ms Bottley’s year five class are excited for Olden Days Day at school - it’s a chance to experience school as it was a long time ago. There’ll be no modern technology, lots of old-fashioned lessons, weird rules and a moody, strict and excessively loud teacher. Dressed up in Victorian attire, several children have bought in something to celebrate the day. Lenny has his own special contribution hidden in a box. But when Ratty escapes, mayhem ensues. With chaos descending throughout the school, can Lenny, along with best friend Sam and new arrival Jess, catch the elusive rodent and put an end to the madness…

School-based comedies are always a hit and this is a great example of how glorious, silly and pleasurable they can be. Bursting with hilarious hijinks, Lenny Lemon and the Invincible Rat serves up rodent mayhem in abundance with Ratty leading Lenny and friends on a carnage-filled chase around the school. There’s chaos in the classroom, pandemonium in the playground, a hullabaloo in the hall and karnage in the kitchen with plenty of gruel (or is it sick), flour and cheese thrown in for good measure. Brilliantly written and superbly illustrated, this is sidesplittingly funny, revels in silliness and has wonderful friendships at its heart. It is certainly up there with Pamela Butchart’s Baby Aliens series which is one of my absolute favourites.

The mischievous rat is a show-stealer and you can’t help but root for him, hoping he avoids the clutches of Jess who is all-too-keen for a game of Splat the Rat. The trio of kids are awesome; their friendship dynamic is so typical and will have children smiling knowingly. Lenny is full of crazy ideas, all action Jess is more than happy to bring big and often misguided plans to fruition, and then there’s sensible Sam. Trouble averse, he knows things are not a good idea but invariably gets dragged along for the ride as a reluctant participant - spit swears tend to have that effect.

Lenny’s first-person narration is spot on. His authentic voice will easily resonate with children as he passes comment on all of the school goings-on and gives his hilarious views on life a hundred years ago. The confusion over the huge black square on a wooden frame had me in tears - it reminded me of a scene in the movie Grown-Ups when a child discovers a television from yesteryear and yells out, ‘Hey Dad, what’s the big box attached to the the back of the TV?’.

Fresh, anarchic and hugely appealing, Ben Davis and James Lancett really hit the mark with a fast-paced and very accessible read that caters for a wide audience and will be an attractive draw for reluctant readers. Crammed with energetic black and white illustrations, over-sized text, different fonts and snappy chapters, this throughly enjoyable ‘tail’ delivers page after page of LOLs and rat-tastic action.

A riotous start to what is sure to be a hit-series and is one of my favour-at reads of the year for lower key stage two. Rat-isfaction is guaranteed so do yourself a favour and pick-up a copy, you’ll have no reg-rats! Lenny will be back for more adventures in the Trail of Crumbs.

Recommended for 7+.

With huge thanks to Nosy Crow for the copy I received in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.