Set in 1920s-1930s Amsterdam, Ciske the Rat tells the story of young Ciske, told through the eyes of his new school teacher Bruis. Ciske, a poor and neglected boy, has to go to a different school on account of having misbehaved at the previous one. Rebellious as he is, he's had quite a few of such incidents, and has had regular interaction with police. His mother is a horror, his father is away at sea, and he is mostly left to his own devices and mischief. Slowly, Bruis manages to reach the distrustful boy, but just as things are starting to go more smoothly for the boy, something terrible happens.

Although such a description may be that of a regular children's book (not unlike a "schelmenroman"), it is actually even more enjoyable for adults, discussing children's interaction amongst each other, interaction of adults with children (and the difficulties) and the difficult questions that come with trying to educate children. Although many decades old, the human interaction is as true today as it was in those days, and the story is realistic and well-written, with humour and style.