Penguin Australia

November 2022

ISBN: 9780552578929

Imprint: Corgi Childrens

RRP: $16.99

Twenty years ago the late, great Sir Terry Pratchett won the Carnegie Medal for his 28th book in the Discworld series, the first written for children, so it is utterly fitting that finally this extraordinary, absurd fantasy should be brought to life – and brought to a new generation of readers in a filmed version.

Just in case anyone is unfamiliar with either Sir Terry’s work, Discworld or Maurice ….

…allow me to give you a little insight. This is a book that has everything I most prize in my reading: ridiculous humour and sparkling wit, twisted fairy-tales, quirky characters, talking animals, rats even more intelligent than their usual intellect and a happy ending. Maurice is a wily shyster of a cat, who is cannily manipulating a band of rats and a gormless youth to fleece villagers of ‘rat plagues’. Both cat and rats have intelligence out-ranking that of humans, can speak and even read and write (a little) following their consumption of mysterious magic rubbish from the university of wizardry. Just as they reach a more or less mutual decision to end their rather unscruplous con-game, they come upon a town in which a far nastier deception involving the manipulation of rats and the greed of individuals is taking place. Needless to say, after nail-biting adventures and narrow escapes, the unlikely comrades do indeed, rout the real ‘rats’ from the town and earn their place in its society in a wholly unprecedented rat-human symbiotic partnership.

It had been a long time since I had read it and I fell in love with it all over again. With the newly minted animated film due for release before Xmas, this is going to make a perfect stocking stuffer for youngsters from around 8 years upwards and definitely one to have on your shelves when school starts back in 2023.

Given my love of this series, Sir Terry Pratchett (whom we lost the day after my Jen. I used his quote at her farewell) and rats (I do miss my own ratty girls) this gets my highest recommendation. Hopefully it will spark a passion for Pratchett, that is shared by readers all over the world, in your kiddos.

BOHEMIAN RAT-SODY

Is this the rat life? Is this rat fantasy?

Bought from a feeder bin, escaped from reality

Open your eyes, look up to this guy and see

I’m just a poor floof, I need no sympathy

Because I’m squeezy tum, tiny toes, little ears, little nose

Anywhere the cheerios doesn’t really matter to me, to me

Mama, just bought a rat

Went to buy the cat a bed

To a snake, he would be fed

Mama, life has just begun

Cuz now I’ve gone and saved a floof today

Mama, ooh, didn’t mean to make you cry

If I’m not back again this time tomorrow

Call the vet, call the vet,

For I’ll be there with the ratters

Too late, what have I done?

To the pet store one last time, got 10 more and they’re all mine

Goodbye, everybody, I’ve got to go

Gotta leave you all behind and face the floof

Mama, ooh, I don’t want them to die

I sometimes wish they’d never been born at all

I see a little silhouetto of a rat

Boople snoot,

Boople snoot,

Will you watch his boggle eyes go

Chocolate chips and icing,

Very much enticing, Meep!

Can I free-roam? (Can I free-roam?)

Can I free-roam? (Can I free-roam?)

Can I free-roam, let me go, oh mumma no-oh-oh-oh!

No, no, NO NO!

I’m just a poor rat, nobody loves me,

He’s eating dinner, with his whole family,

Spare some roast beef for this baby rattie?

Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?

Groomer! No, we will not let you go

(Let him go) Groomer! We will not let you go

(Let him go) Groomer! We will not let you go

(Let me go) Will not let you go

(Let me go) Will not let you go

(Let me go) Ah, no, no, no, no, no, no, no

(Oh power groomer, power groomer) Power groomer, let me go

Beaa-eaaaar-z-Bear has Calcifer on his side you see, you see, you see

So you think you can stop me cause I’m pink eyed?

So you think you can scritch me and leave me this high?

Oh, hooman,

Can’t do this to me hooman,

Just gotta scritch me,

Just gotta scritch me right ‘round here

Floofing really matters, anyone can see

Floofing really matters,

Floofing really matters to me

Anywhere the cheerios