The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents

Pratchett, Terry

4.07

48,096 ratings by Goodreads

9780756914585: The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents

ISBN 10: 0756914582 ISBN 13: 9780756914585

Publisher: Turtleback Books, 2008

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Winner of the 2001 Carnegie Medal

"One rat, popping up here and there, squeaking loudly, and taking a bath in the cream, could be a plague all by himself. After a few days of this, it was amazing how glad people were to see the kid with his magical rat pipe. And they were amazing when the rats followed hint out of town.

They'd have been really amazed if they'd ever found out that the rats and the piper met up with a cat somewhere outside of town and solemnly counted out the money."

The Amazing Maurice runs the perfect Pied Piper scam. This streetwise alley cat knows the value of cold, hard cash and can talk his way into and out of anything. But when Maurice and his cohorts decide to con the town of Bad Blinitz, it will take more than fast talking to survive the danger that awaits. For this is a town where food is scarce and rats are hated, where cellars are lined with deadly traps, and where a terrifying evil lurks beneath the hunger-stricken streets....

Set in Terry Pratchett's widely popular Discworld, this masterfully crafted, gripping read is both compelling and funny. When one of the world's most acclaimed fantasy writers turns a classic fairy tale on its head, no one will ever look at the Pied Piper -- or rats -- the same way again!

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Review:

Terry Pratchett returns to children's stories and to his infamous Discworld with Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, a clever spin on the Pied Piper fairytale with a lavish sprinkling of the Practchett magic.

Maurice is a talking cat who leads a band of rather special rats from town to town to fake invasions of vermin. Keith, in cahoots with Maurice, turns up with his flute and leads the rats out of town--a hefty reward in tow. It's a scam that works perfectly... until they arrive in the town of Bad Blintz and their ruse is sussed by the young girl Malicia. Maurice and his mice realise they are about to be caught in the middle of something rather bad.

This is a fresh and funny adventure story that allows Pratchett to make free use of his immense comic talents (the talking rats are easily some of his most hilarious creations). It's also full of cute little ideas: the mice take their names from cans and packets lying in rubbish dumps, so we have heroes called "Big Savings" and "Best Before".

Terry Pratchett has created a wonderful, old-fashioned tale where the subtle morals and lessons never hinder the action. Younger children may initially struggle with Mr Pratchett's unusual style, but once they get to grips with the humour, this will be a laugh-a-minute for both kids and their parents. (Ages 8 and over) --Jon Weir

Review:

"An enticing and occasionally gory introduction to the master of flat earth... proves that the Pied Piper of Hamelin was a front for an insider-dealing scam... alongside the gags and pest-control politics, there are enough complex ideas about nature, nurture and understanding to satisfy a wide audience." "--Observer""One of Terry Pratchett's funniest creations of recent years... It all adds up to a wonderful book... hilarious, brilliantly constructed and, especially towards its conclusion, shot through with an edginess to balance the laughs." --"SFX" "A brilliant and bizarre reworking of that well-known folk tale about the Pied Piper of Hamelin." --"School Librarian"

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