• Title: I Was a Rat! or, The Scarlet Slippers

• Author: Philip Pullman

• Publisher: Doubleday (UK), 1999

• Publication Date: April 1, 1999

• ISBN‑13: 9780385409797

• Page Count: 175 pages

• Genre: Children’s Fantasy / Fairy‑tale Retelling

• Age Range: 8–12

• Setting: A fictional royal city inspired by Victorian England

• Adaptations: BBC One 3‑episode TV miniseries (2001)

✨ Content Summary (2–5 sentences)

A mysterious boy in a torn page’s uniform appears at the home of Bob and Joan, insisting, “I was a rat!”. As they try to help him, Roger becomes entangled in a series of misadventures—exploited by a fairground owner, hunted by the press, and feared as a sewer “monster.” The story unfolds as a satirical fairy‑tale sequel to Cinderella, revealing that Roger was once one of Cinderella’s transformed rats. With danger mounting, only compassion, truth, and a royal intervention can save him.

📘 Street University Classification Fields

Tier Classification

Academic Corridor → Literary Analysis Tier (Themes: identity, exploitation, media influence, transformation.)

Shelf Code

AC‑LA‑PULLMAN‑IWASARAT‑99

Corridor Alignment

• Academic Corridor → Fantasy & Literary Analysis

• Civic Identity Corridor → Media Literacy & Social Commentary

• Leadership Corridor → Ethics & Human Dignity

Node Placement

• Node A‑5: Advanced Literary Analysis

• Node C‑4: Social Systems & Public Perception

• Node LE‑1: