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Summary
Summary
From the New York Times bestselling author of I Am A Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President
" A witty mash-up of favorite fantasy motifs."-- New York Times Book Review
" Ratscalibur is funny, it's scary, and it's sweet, like life. But it has talking rats and magic, so it's better than life."--Jimmy Fallon
"Full of clever dialogue and hilarious puns...Don't be surprised if this novel achieves best-seller status." -- Booklist
"The only way I could've liked this more is if I were eleven."--Ira Glass
"A charming take on an old favorite."-- Publishers Weekly
When Joey is bitten by an elderly rat, he goes from aspiring seventh-grader to three-inch tall rodent.
At first, Joey is amazed by his new rat self. The city streets call to him at night. Smells that would have repelled him before are suddenly tantalizing. (A chicken bone? Yes! A squashed cockroach? Like perfume!) And wow, the freedom! But when a bout of hunger leads Joey to pull the spork from the scone, he finds himself at the center of a longtime rat prophecy.
Joey has unwittingly unlocked the sword Ratscalibur; and now, it is up to him to protect his new rat friends from the evil crows who seek to destroy their peaceful kingdom. But what does an eleven-year-old know about actual swordplay? And what happens when Joey no longer wants to be a rat?
Author Notes
Josh Lieb is the producer and showrunner of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon . He won seven Emmy Awards as writer and producer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and has written and produced multiple other television shows, including The Simpsons and NewsRadio . His novel I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President was a New York Times best seller. He's married with two children and lots of animals. Follow him on Twitter @JoshLieb9.
Reviews (6)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this playful retelling of the legend of Excalibur, a kingdom of city-dwelling rats is in crisis until a stranger frees the legendary Spork in the Scone to reveal himself as their foretold hero. But Joey is actually a human boy, transformed into a rodent by a Gondorff the Gray, a talking pet rat who happens to be a powerful Ragician. Joey's quest to find Squirrelin the Squagician is his only hope to save Ravalon and return himself to human form. Pulling in references to The Lord of the Rings, The Three Musketeers, and more, Lieb (I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President) gleefully spoofs Arthurian legend, paying close attention to the keen sense of smell leading Joey on his rodent journey. Lintern's elegantly drafted pen-and-ink drawings bring additional humor and suspense to the furry underbelly of the cityscape. First in the Chronicles of the Low Realm, it's a charming take on an old favorite about overcoming life's twists and finding strength inside oneself. Ages 8-12. Agent: Richard Abate, 3 Arts Entertainment. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
After the impressive feat of pulling Ratscalibur, the legendary Spork, from the Scone, human-boy-turned-hero-rat Joey is sent on a quest to save the Kingdom Ravalon. Lieb borrows from classic legends and Tolkien with abandon; it's all a bit over-the-top, but the fast pace keeps the plot moving and Joey is a likable reluctant hero. Black-and-white drawings enhance Joey's heroic adventures. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Joey's destiny takes an unforeseen turn when his uncle gives him a pet rat that is anything but ordinary: he is Gondorff, a ragician from the realm of Ravalon, which is in dire need of help. Gondorff, who is dying, magically turns Joey into a rat and saddles him with the task of delivering a message to his kingdom. Upon finding Ravalon, hunger leads Joey to pull a spork from a scone, and he is named the hero who will fulfill a long-told rat prophecy. Teaming up with the princess, a loyal guinea pig, a rat knight, and a herd of cats, Joey sets off on a quest to stop the evil Salaman from taking over Ravalon. Full of clever dialogue and hilarious puns, this is a delightful homage to Brian Jacques' Redwall series, Lord of the Rings, and Arthurian legend. While the plot holds few surprises, the play on the fantasy trope is well done. Expect more to come from Joey and Ravalon. Perfect for readers who enjoy animal fantasy brushed with humor and charm. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Having worked with many of television's comedy greats, Lieb has a strong handle on humor and parody. Don't be surprised if this novel achieves best-seller status like his first, I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President (2009).--Thompson, Sarah Bean Copyright 2015 Booklist
New York Review of Books Review
Two books feature epic battles on a minuscule scale and heroes in the form of vermin. RATSCALIBUR By Josh Lieb 171 pp. Razorbill. $16.99. (Middle grade; ages 8 to 12) SUPER FLY The World's Smallest Superhero! By Todd H. Doodler 115 pp. Bloomsbury. $15.99. (Chapter book; ages 5 to 7) ANIMALS CAN BE an author's best friend. Talking animals, to be precise. Since the dawn of folklore, anthropomorphic beasties have been reliable go-to guys when a story simply wouldn't be as much fun with plain old human protagonists. And so it is that Josh Lieb, in "Ratscalibur," layers on the fur - and the claws, and the skinny pink tails - to transform the archetypal "unassuming kid fulfills prophecy and saves the kingdom" plot into a witty mash-up of favorite fantasy motifs. The book recasts Arthurian legend with rodents - rat knights, squirrel sorcerers, guinea pig guards, and so on. But rather than create an entirely imaginary world populated by sword-wielding woodland creatures, à la Brian Jacques's classic Redwall saga (a series that, in both page count and body count, is truly the "Game of Thrones" of talking animal tales), Lieb sets his adventure here on Earth, right under the unknowing noses of us humans. He trades castles and dungeons for urban alleys and sewers, enchanted forests for city parks. And it's in this change of venue that the book comes alive. Lieb's obvious delight in laying out the vermin-world analogues of swordand-sorcery staples is infectious. Readers will smile to see Popsicle-stick lances, peanut-shell helmets and, of course, the title sword, which is actually a spork - a spork that must be pulled from a scone. (Pun lovers will find no shortage of reasons to enjoy this book.) Despite the Arthurian trappings, the plot of "Ratscalibur" owes less to "The Once and Future King" than it does to "The Lord of the Rings." The rodent mage Gondorff the Gray, for instance, is an obvious tribute to Tolkien's quintessential wizard, Gandalf. And the scheming Salaman is, in turn, modeled after the villainous Saruman (or possibly the Ring trilogy's other archfiend, Sauron - distinctive naming was not Tolkien's forte). Lieb's sewer rat berserkers call to mind Middle-earth's orcs, and Ratscalibur glows when danger is near, just like Bilbo Baggins's sword, Sting. Lieb even gives a nod to Tolkien's favorite deus ex machina - escape via giant bird. For readers in the know, these homage bits can act as either Easter eggs or spoilers, but either way, they fit perfectly with the book's mix of parody and genuine adventure. Lieb, a "Tonight Show" producer and former "Daily Show" writer, takes a tone here that is much less arch than in his previous novel, "I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President." There's an earnest sweetness at the heart of "Ratscalibur," and the author's reverence for the stories that inspired him is apparent, giving the book a retro feel. Tom Lintern's gorgeous linedrawn illustrations, which call to mind the work of Zena Bernstein or Garth Williams, add to the old-school appeal. In "Super Fly," Todd H. Doodler also treads well-worn territory, tackling the "nerdy kid accidentally gains superpowers" story. But here again, the triteness of the premise is nicely camouflaged by the presence of animals. Or, in this case, insects. Mr. Doodler, if that is his real name (it's not), does a fine job of mining the bug world for laughs ('"He's out for blood,' said Susie Spider. 'I'm always out for blood,' said Monica Mosquito.") and an even better one of poking fun at superhero clichés. When the cape-and-tights-clad protagonist, Super Fly, wonders why his partner in crime-fighting, Fantastic Flea, keeps erupting into bursts of nonsense like "Great hairy hamster hiccups!," he gets the simple answer of "It's the way sidekicks talk." Like Lieb, Doodler sets his story in an unseen segment of our real world, and goes so far as to put us two-legged folks at risk from his insect villain. Crazy Cockroach doesn't just sic his giant robots on the insect city of Stinkopolis, he orders his creations to smash skyscrapers in Paris, New York and Tokyo. Aimed at a younger audience - ages 5 to 7, as opposed to "Ratscalibur's" 8-to-12 demo - "Super Fly" has, by design, a far less sophisticated narrative. But it stands out as an oasis of cleverness in a market segment that often makes read-aloud parents wish they could either go back to picture books or fast-forward to Harry Potter. CHRISTOPHER HEALY is the author of the Hero's Guide trilogy for middle-grade readers.
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-Joey, a soon-to-be seventh grader, has recently moved to New York City with his mother. He is not particularly enthralled by big city life. Soon though, Joey's uncle brings home a special new friend for him-a rat, just like the creatures he has seen about the city. To Joey's surprise, his new pet rodent begins speaking to him from his cage. He learns that the elderly rat is a ragician (a rat magician) named Gondorff the Grey and he has a special mission for Joey. He must deliver a simple message to his rat cohorts, "I have failed." The dying Gondorff bites Joey, transforming him into a rat and setting into motion this fun, humorous adventure story that plays off of the mythical Excalibur story. Edoardo Ballerini narrates with enthusiasm, wonderfully voicing each character with lively, distinct personalities and accents. Listeners will be on the edge of their seats while Ballerini takes them along on Joey's dangerous and action-filled quest into the world of rats, crows, and other animals. Full of puns and parodied names from classic fantasy adventure tales, this animal adaptation is sure to please young fans of "The Lord of the Rings," the "Redwall" books, and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh. -VERDICT School and public libraries will want to add this first volume in the "Chronicle of the Low Realm" tales to their collections, as this series is sure to become a favorite.-Nicole Lee -Martin, Grafton-Midview Public Library, OH © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A young New York City newcomer becomes a rat and then a hero in this tale of knightly derring-do.Transformed by the bite of dying Ragician ("Man does Magic. Rats do Ragic") Gondorff the Gray, Joey finds himself in the ankle-height kingdom of Ravalon, where he instantly earns widespread awe by pulling a plastic spork from a dried biscuit: "He's drawn the Spork from the Scone!" A quest into Central Park to seek help from the renowned but difficult mage Squirrelin the Squagician against a shadowy menace leads to furious battles with crows and Berzerker rats, devastating treachery, courageous acts aplenty, and even a kiss from princess/apprentice mage Yislene. Appearing on nearly every spread and ranging from small spot portraits to full-sized melees, Lintern's finely detailed drawings place Joeyintrepidly wielding his glowing utensiland the rest in urban nooks and crannies only rarely noticed by crowds of human passersby. Along with the parodied names and puns, Lieb slips in gags of more than one sort with a ratcentric view of odors and foods ("Mmm, there's a cockroach leg stuck to the cheese. Bonus!") and a broad range of species-specific "-agics."A crowd-pleasing mix of quick action, true valor, clever wordplay, and gross bits. (Animal fantasy. 9-11) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
CHAPTER 1 Joey didn't want to move to the city, but his mom got a really good job offer, so here they were. The apartment was pretty small--just a bedroom for Mom, a bedroom for Joey, and a living room with a little kitchen attached. Right now it was full of brown cardboard boxes, stuffed with everything they owned. "Joey, get me a knife," said Mom. She was sitting on the floor ripping open boxes. She was looking for the coffee maker, but she hadn't marked what box it was in. Mom drank a lot of coffee, so this hunt for the coffee maker was getting pretty desperate. Joey handed her a steak knife. They had already unpacked most of the kitchen. There was still a lot of work to do, but he got kind of scared when he thought about what he'd do when they were done. He didn't know anyone here. That morning, when he was helping the movers carry boxes, he'd spotted some boys across the street. They didn't look like the boys from back home. One of them raised his arm and started to wave at Joey, but the other boy--the bigger boy--punched him on the shoulder, and he put his hand down. After that they just watched. The city was big. The city was loud. The city was dirty. It was hot, too, but that's the way it was in August anywhere. But hot in the city meant smelly. Every piece of dog poop or pile of garbage bags seemed to have a little cloud of stink around it. Their apartment was on the ground floor, which worried Joey. That made it easy for crooks to just climb in the window. Mom said the iron bars on the window would keep the bad guys out, but that didn't make Joey feel any better. They hadn't needed iron bars on their windows back home. "Aaargh!" said Mom, as she threw handfuls of Joey's underwear out of a box. Mom had a big vocabulary, but she sounded a lot like a half-awake animal when she didn't get her coffee. All her words would turn into grunts and groans. "No coffee. Coffee maker hiding," she said, and she dug some wrinkled money out of her purse and sent Joey down the street to buy a cup at the store on the corner. The man at the store was nice, but he didn't speak any English. Joey didn't speak any Spanish, so they didn't have anything to say after Joey got the coffee. Next year, in seventh grade, Joey would start taking foreign-language classes. It would probably be a good idea to take Spanish. As he walked home, the sidewalk was crowded with people who were in a hurry to go somewhere and other people who weren't in a hurry to go anywhere at all. Joey was bounced around among them, like a pinball. He almost spilled the coffee one time, when a skinny man in a business suit brushed past him. As he was steadying himself, Joey caught a glimpse of a pile of garbage behind one of the buildings on the block. It was just a big mound of empty bottles, plastic trash bags, and broken baby toys . . . but something underneath the pile moved. Joey ran home the whole way, not caring if he spilled a little. "Mom, Mom!" he called, as he came through the door--and then stopped. Uncle Patrick was there! He must've just walked in, because he and Mom were still hugging, even though Mom looked a little annoyed. Uncle Patrick let her go and turned to Joey. "Hey, honcho!" He gave Joey a huge hug of his own. Uncle Patrick was big, big, big. He had big hands, big shoulders, and a big, big belly. He didn't have a job exactly, but he spent a lot of time watching football games, drinking beer, and falling asleep on the couch. He was kind of like a big friendly dog, which made sense. Mom said Uncle Patrick got along better with animals than people, anyway. He was Joey's favorite person, besides Mom. "How you liking life in the big city?" asked Uncle Patrick. Uncle Patrick had lived in the city for a long time, and being close to him was probably the best thing about moving here. Before Joey could answer--before he could say anything about the weird boys across the street, or the bars on the windows, or the thing that moved inside the garbage--Mom said, "Pretty cute of you to show up after we've done all the moving, Patrick." Uncle Patrick smiled. He had very white teeth, which were very crooked and stuck out of his mouth like jack-o'-lantern teeth. He ran his hand through his hair--which was very, very black and stuck out in messy spikes that looked sharp and dangerous, but were really soft when you touched them. "Aw, you know how it is, Sis," he said. "I meant to come by earlier but something came up." "Yeah," Mom said, "I know how it is." She smiled to show she wasn't mad. She couldn't stay mad at Uncle Patrick for very long. He was her little brother--even if he was twice as big as her. Mom pointed at a box Uncle Patrick had brought in, which was covered with a dirty towel. "What's that?" "That," said Uncle Patrick, "is a present for Joey. Go ahead, honcho, unwrap it." Joey "unwrapped" the box--which really meant just pulling the towel off it. It wasn't a box, really. It was a cage, like people keep hamsters in, with a wheel for the hamster to run on, and a water bottle for the hamster to drink from, and everything. But the thing sleeping in the wood shavings at the bottom of the cage wasn't a hamster. It was twice as long as any hamster, and it had a pointed snout and a long, hairless tail. And everywhere else it was covered with pure silvery-gray fur. "That," Mom said, "is a rat." CHAPTER 2 "No, it's a pet rat," said Uncle Patrick. "What better companion could a newcomer to the city have than the ultimate city animal?" He slapped Joey on the back. "Rats are survivors, my man. You can learn a lot from them. Besides, the fur reminded me of you." Joey had mostly boring brown hair--not cool black hair like Uncle Patrick or bright red hair like Mom--but he also had this weird gray streak that ran along the side of his head over his right ear, like a racing stripe on a car. The streak was the exact same color as the rat. "Where did you get it?" said Mom. "The pet store," said Uncle Patrick. "Is it safe?" asked Mom. "Has it had its shots and everything?" "Sure, it's safe," said Uncle Patrick. "Would they sell it if it wasn't safe?" "Why isn't it moving?" asked Joey. Uncle Patrick nudged the cage. The rat snored a little and rolled over on its side. "It's sleeping," said Uncle Patrick. "Rats sleep a lot." He plopped down on the couch and started slapping the cushions. "Hey, nice couch." Joey didn't know how he felt about having a rat for a pet. But he knew his mom wasn't going to let him get anything bigger. The building wouldn't allow it. A rat was better than a goldfish, he guessed. Besides, it was a gift from Uncle Patrick. "I love it," said Joey. Uncle Patrick smiled. "I knew you would. What are you gonna call him?" Mom said, "Might I suggest 'Patrick'?" But she was smiling, too, so it didn't seem mean. Joey looked at the rat. It was just sleeping there in the wood shavings, with its fangs hanging out of its mouth, but it looked kind of special. It didn't look like a Patrick. Joey figured he'd come up with a better name later, when the rat woke up. By the time Joey was ready to go to bed, though, the rat still hadn't woken up. Joey put a slice of turkey in the cage, but the rat didn't even seem to notice. Was it sick? Uncle Patrick had said that rats sleep a lot, but this seemed like too much. "You're going to like it here, Joey. You'll see," said Mom. Then she hugged him and kissed him and turned out the light, just like she did when she said goodnight to him back home. But this wasn't like going to sleep back home. The room was weird, and smelled weird. Joey's bed was in the wrong corner. None of his posters were on the walls yet. He lay in bed, with his eyes wide open, looking at the strange shadows his half-unpacked boxes made on the ceiling. But the weirdest part was all the noise. Joey was used to it being quiet when he went to sleep. Here, nothing was quiet. Mom had left the window open a crack, for the fresh air. Now Joey could hear everything outside. Women walking on the sidewalk in their high heels: KIK-kuk-KIK-kuk-KIK-kuk. Cars growling past, blasting music from their stereos: BOOM-boom-BOOM-boom. Horns honking. Cats howling. People laughing. There even seemed to be a little voice, saying over and over again, "Boy. Boy. Boy . . ." Joey listened closely. There was a little voice. It was tiny, but it sounded old and smart, like a professor in a movie. And the words were very clear. "Boy. Boy. Help me." It wasn't coming from outside, though. Joey looked around the room. The voice seemed to be coming from his bedside table. Joey listened closer. It was coming from the hamster cage on top of the table. "Yes, boy. Yes. Over here." Joey froze with terror. The voice was coming from the rat. Excerpted from Ratscalibur by Josh Lieb All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
