Emil and the Sneaky Rat

Children's classic book by amazing Swedish writer.Language is a bit difficult, one can feel it's a translation but nevertheless must read!

My 8 years old son and I enjoyed reading this story together.

I love Emil. He is a very believable character. I think we all know a child who has good intentions and then ends up doing it wrong. Dare I say that I prefer this to Pipi Longstoking? Well I do. I would recommend Emil to all.

Classic, fantastic book series. Timeless!

I just couldn't believe the previous review, so to be fair to the book I had to leave a different one. It's a wonderful book about a boy who lives on a farm, so one page out of 146 pages mentions killing of a pig as a reference to how black pudding is made and what happend to the black pudding mixture. Next page describes killing of a potato for a potato pancake mixture. Emil is a little bit like a Horrid Henry but more positive hero and he really has a kind heart. It's a laugh out loud book, full of adventures that not just entertain but also make children think, also suitable for animal lovers. Emil loves horses and other animals. In the next book he buys a lame hen, that is left behind and it proves to be the best egg-layer. I should warn other people however, that this particular book also describes poor old people who live in a poor house as well as real hunger, lice, whole roast piglet that looks like a ghost and of course rats. Recommended along with other books about Emil: "Emil's clever pig" (where Emils saves a pig from being slaughtered and other adventures) and "Emil and the great escape" (warning - milking, all kind of sausages and foreign money, another reviewer's concern, mentioned)

I read the stories about Emil as a child, and like all of Lindgren's stories and characters, he has stayed with me. I'm hugely fond of this little boy - he is full of mischief, but he's kindhearted and bright and funny and brave. Lindgren's writing is filled with such humour and warmth, it's a joy to read for adults as well as children.To counter an earlier review: Emil lives on a Swedish farm in the late 19th / early 20th Century. Yes, reference is made to a pig being turned into sausage. Today's children, who grow up with food materialising on supermarket shelves, may learn something from Emil's experience of the world. (Honestly, I'm flabbergasted that anyone would see anything "gruesome" or disturbing about these stories - what your child will remember is a world full of sunlight and changing seasons and human warmth - and the hilarious antics of this little boy, who causes havoc in the most well-meaning of ways, and somehow always comes out on top).Anyway, I am very happy to see some of Lindgren's English translations being re-printed at long last. I grew up in Germany, where Astrid Lindgren is an integral part of every childhood - I can't imagine mine without her. I'm a little sad that I've struggled to find English editions of many of her works for the English-speaking children in my family and circle of friends. I really feel they are missing out. As great as the Pippi Longstocking stories are, there is so much more to this author (google her, and you'll see I'm not alone in my opinion!). Try The Brothers Lionheart; Ronia the Robber's Daughter; Mio, my son; and (for the really little ones) The Tomten.

Although I thought this book was well written, I wouldn't recommend it for all children. I bought it for my 8 year old daughter, who loved Pippi Longstocking, but the content of this book wasn't suitable - we got through the bit about the pig being slaughtered, but descriptions of the bowl full of pig's blood and the pig's intestines etc proved a bit too much. We decided to put the book down unfinished and start something else! Not for the squeamish.