The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents (2001)
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents is a 2001 fiction book written by Terry Pratchett.
Maurice is a streetwise talking cat with a keen eye for profit and a foolproof racket. He runs a clan of intelligent, self-aware rats and a dim-looking boy with a pipe, staging plagues in one town after another so the boy can charm the vermin away for a fee. Then they reach Bad Blintz, where the cellars hold cruel traps, the food has run short, and something far worse than an honest scam is waiting underground. Pratchett's first Discworld novel written for younger readers turns the Pied Piper on its head, and lets the rats start asking uncomfortable questions about right, wrong, and who gets eaten. It won the Carnegie Medal.
Quick answers
What is The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents about?
Maurice is a streetwise talking cat with a keen eye for profit and a foolproof racket. He runs a clan of intelligent, self-aware rats and a dim-looking boy with a pipe, staging plagues in one town after another so the boy can charm the vermin away for a fee. Then they reach Bad Blintz, where the cellars hold cruel traps, the food has run short, and something far worse than an honest scam is waiting underground. Pratchett's first Discworld novel written for younger readers turns the Pied Piper on its head, and lets the rats start asking uncomfortable questions about right, wrong, and who gets eaten. It won the Carnegie Medal.
When was The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents published?
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents was published in 2001.
Who made The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents?
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents was written by Terry Pratchett.
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A few thoughts on The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish shares the swaggering, morally slippery talking cat who slowly grows a conscience. For the fable-flipped-on-its-head streak, Fantastic Mr Fox brings Wes Anderson's dry wit to clever animals scheming against a hostile human world, a good tonal match for Maurice's crew.
Talking-animal stories where the animals are the clever ones
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents gives its rat clan real minds and real doubts, with a con-artist cat running the show. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish carries the same wised-up, mortality-aware feline lead. Redwall and Charlotte's Web both build entire worlds around animals with more sense than the humans nearby, and Hollow Knight lets a small, unassuming creature carry its own crumbling kingdom.