Then you have the rats. Don’t get me wrong—they are not all bad—just most of them. They are vicious, too—fighting in large groups and bullying others to get what they want. But like all bullies, if you stand up to them, no matter their size, their scary persona soon unravels to reveal a weak, pathetic individual who is only pushed on by their cowardly group of friends.

I experienced relentless bullying in my school days, but sadly I was never brave enough to stand up to them. All these years later, I am a much stronger person and my experiences back then have helped me to write these books. Family and friends is what matters in life. As for the bullies—they are just the bad guys in my stories now, cut down and humiliated to expose their inner ugliness.

These stories are not pretty—they can be hard hitting in places with a moderate amount of violence to show the harshness of life in the struggle to survive. The further you read on, you will forget you are reading a story about animals and almost view the characters as friends. Do I have a favourite character—well of course I do, but I can’t tell you her name as that wouldn’t be fair on the others.

The first three books are closely linked, but all conclude their part of a bigger story. From book four, you have a different adventure each time, drawing you in to a surprisingly structured world which is right in front of us.