Sadie and Ratz

by Sonya Hartnett

Hardcover, 2012

Status

Available

Call number

820

Genres

Children's Books

Fiction

Collection

Your library

Publication

Candlewick (2012), Edition: Reprint, Hardcover, 64 pages

Description

Hannah and her hands, named Sadie and Ratz, regularly get into trouble, especially when younger brother Baby Boy is around.

User reviews

LibraryThing member jjpionke

Hannah has a little brother who has been causing trouble and blaming Hannah's hands, named Sadie and Ratz. Imaginatively, the narrative draws out real fears by young children who have much younger siblings. Words are simple and large with the story coming in three chapters, making this book a good

transition reader for children who are building up their skills as they move more towards grades 3, 4, and 5. The illustrations are done in charcoal and bring out a wide array of emotions through the use of line, both soft and sharp. Children who are struggling with younger siblings will definitely relate to this narrative. Highly recommended for older siblings and children who are practicing their reading skills. Highly recommended.

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LibraryThing member Sullywriter

This is one of the best written and most sophisticated early readers I have ever read. Hannah is a little girl who projects her anger, frustrations, and inclinations for mischief on Sadie and Ratz, the names she gives to her hands which are "wild beasts." I am awed by Hartnett's remarkable ability

to so perfectly capture a young child's imagination and perspective. Ann James's striking illustrations are also notable.

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LibraryThing member librarybrandy

Why, yes, I've had the attention span of a gnat lately, and a Beginning Reader book is about my speed.

Picked this up because I love this author and wanted to see what she did with the younger format. Turns out, what she did is exactly what I should have expected--a realistic story that highlights

something that's both common and dark; in this case, creating what is essentially a pair of imaginary friends (her hands) through which she can act out her frustrations and vent her childish anger. She has particular trouble dealing with her little brother and the attention he gets, so he takes the brunt of Sadie's and Ratz's rage.

It's not my favorite of her books (that's probably either The Ghost's Child or What the Birds See), it still has her usual sense of how things truly are for kids, not how we wish they would be. (I'm reminded of a line from My So-Called Life, about how "the yearbook isn't a book of what really happened; it's a book about what we wish had happened. Because if you made a book of what really happened, it would be a really depressing book." And that's a great way to sum up most of Hartnett's writing.)

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LibraryThing member MaryEttaJ

This was a great book about Hannah a little girl who uses her hands Sadie and Ritz for her reason in being a wild beast. Her baby brother also will have wild beast hands which their names are Colin and Scraps. Sonya Hartnett did a great job writing this story because you must have a wild

imagination to find it amusing.

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LibraryThing member Cheryl_in_CC_NV

Ok,, wow.. brilliant, a must read. Actually, a must-read aloud. I was so struck by the first line that I was glad my husband was handy so I could share it with him. He blinked, too. So, I read the next bit to him, to find out if this child is disturbed, or imaginative, or what the heck is going on.

Are her hands pets? We read the next bit. We're both being very impressed & moved... so I wind up reading the whole thing aloud to him.

And reading it aloud with someone is the best way to appreciate it. On my own I would have read it too fast, probably thinking it much cuter than it is. It's not cute, actually. It's as dark as a nightmare, as intense as a temper tantrum. It's True.

Elizabeth Bird compares it to Where the Wild Things Are." I agree with her. Read her review to find out why - I can't write as well as she does. Max & Hannah are both wild and strong-willed, and they're still very much loved....

I just want to be sure to let you know the charcoal (?) illustrations are perfect. The idea of letting your hands have their own lives is probably a helpful coping strategy for lively children trying to develop impulse control. The fact that a reader can be 'on the side of' either sibling makes the story rich, and well-suited for discussions. I love the yoga poses that Sadie and Ratz do.

Oh gosh, I can't say anything well enough. Just know that I will look for more by the author, and would definitely recommend it to any family with strong-willed siblings."

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LibraryThing member reader1009

delightful beginning chapter book that would also work as a read aloud/bedtime story (though it's very short and might easily be read in one sitting).

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