Recommended for listeners ages 6 and up.

List $23.98

Written by Tor Seidler - Audio book performed by Jason Katz - Unabridged Fiction - 3 CASSETTES - 3.3 hours

Publisher, Listening Library (1998)

"Tor Seidler has created a rat to stand alongside Stuart Little." --New York Times Book Review

Publisher's Weekly Review: Set on the wharfs and in the sewers of New York City, this story features young Montague Mad-Rat, a rat among rats in one of the most original, imaginative stories to appear this season. Montague, painfully shy, spends his days collecting feathers and &berries for his mother to make hats from; he also paints tiny, exquisite pictures on seashells brought to him by his seafaring aunt. Montague's adventure begins when he rescues Isabel Moberly-Rat from nearly drowning in a gutter. Escorting her home, he learns that her exclusive address (Wharf 62) and family name (her father is one of ratdom's leading citizens) are far superior to his own he hadn't realized that some rats were better' than others. Meanwhile, the whole rat population is being threatened with extinction from poisoning, thanks to a land-development scheme. Mr. Moberly-Rat &organizes a massive RRR campaign (Raising the Rat Rent) a ransom to the humans so they'll stop the poison. Teaming up with his uncle Monty (a drunken outcast from rat society), Montague embarks on a courageous quest among humans to raise the money, and in the bittersweet finale saves the kingdom and wins the girl. Beautifully told, Seidler's fantasy never falters; it's a love story, a coming of age tale and a grand adventure. all rolled into one. Marcellino makes his debut in children's books; his wonderfully understated pencil drawings add humor and much atmosphere to the tale. If readers can get past the fact that the book's hero is a sewer rat (a not immediately lovable creature), or if they aren't bothered by the crowd scenes (the thought of a million rats gathered in Central Park may make some readers squeamish), they'll be treated to a memorable story. Adults will appreciate its humor and biting social commentary, though the subtleties won't be lost on & young readers.