This is one of those books you finish and then immediately want to go back and start over again. The story is narrated by Bob, older brother - long suffering champion and devoted protector - to his irrepressible, more gregarious sister Marie 'the Rat' Claire. The quieter Bob's plain-spoken colloquial narrative style draws you quickly and effortlessly into the lives of these two young kids in Winnipeg, which early on in the book reach a crisis which sees them embarking on a headlong journey with their BMX bikes to New York to find their Uncle Jerome.
Their adventures - usually precipitated by the fearless Rat - will make you laugh out loud, but the very real dangers of the city and life in general are never far behind, and you find yourself repeatedly on the edge of your seat. The skill of the author is again and again in uniting fairytale elements with starker, darker reality in such a way that you are never quite allowed to relax into that feeling of security which says 'it will surely all work out in the end'. Will they really be ok sleeping rough? Those monsters the Rat spoke of may just be a story but who is that dark figure lurking in the shadows?
This is a book for adults and young people alike, and is one that you will want to re-read. The deceptively simple narrative style makes you think at first that the story is straight forward, when in fact it is a complex multi-layered tale; several of the Rat's 'visions' only made sense to me on the second reading, and your emotions will be taken on a rollercoaster ride. I'm left wanting more and wondering if there will be a sequel - I certainly hope so!
To those who loved this book I would recommend
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Flavia De Luce Mystery 1) - Flavia De Luce is a similarly loveable, irrepressible young character who, like the Rat, sparkles off the page.