Given the light-hearted yet poignant nature of Terry
Pratchett’s Discworld series, it is
surprising to learn that only one of the XX books is YA oriented. (I write “XX” because the number seemingly increases
every few months, at last count at thirty-nine.) The
Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents that book, it should not be
surprising to learn that it can readily be enjoyed by adults, as well.
Playing with the legend of the Pied Piper, The Amazing Maurice is the story of
Maurice the cat, his band of talking rats, and the teenager Keith whom with
they travel city to city. Running a
scam, the preening, egotistical Maurice works as a middle man for Keith and the
rats, the former earning money by playing the pipe to eliminate the rats who
have made themselves a nuisance under Maurice’s guidance, the group sharing in the
spoils.
