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Rat Life

Tedd Arnold

2007208 pagesabout 3–5 hours
2007
first published
  • 2009Penguin USA, Inc. · ENGISBN 9781440675751
  • 2009PenguinISBN 9780142414316
  • 2007Dial · 208 pages · ENGISBN 9780803730205

The dead body found in the Chemanga River has nothing to do with Todd. He's been busy making beds at the family motel and writing alien stories to entertain his friends. Sure, a murder is big news, but what would really interest him? A paying job and a story line free of UFOs and poop jokes. And then he meets Rat.Just a little older than Todd, Rat's already been to Vietnam and back. He's got a tattoo and a messed-up family life. And when he offers Todd a gig at the drive-in theater, Todd takes it. After all, it pays actual money. But hanging out with Rat leads to a host of strange experiences and perplexing questions. More and more, that corpse from the river is on Todd's mind, and no matter how he shifts the pieces around, Rat is always part of the puzzle.

How it feels

AtmosphereWhimsicalBleak

How it reads

Plot intensityEventful

Worth knowing

Written forMiddle grade

When and where

ThemesJustice
How do you feel?