The story of a pampered, uptown rat named Roddy who is flushed down the toilet in his penthouse apartment and ends up in the London sewers. In the city of Ratropolis, he meets the lovely Rita, who might-or might not-help him to return home. But first, he must confront the villainous Toad and his henchfrogs who plan to take over Ratropolis. Roddy must learn a different way of life if he's to survive and save the world.
Grade 9 Up—Maxie, 16, is surprised when Roddy Nash turns up in her chemistry class. They were pals back in grade school, when they collaborated on elaborate mousetrap designs, with Roddy inventing and Maxie drawing the diagrams. She distanced herself from him during sixth grade, when she was called a "fag hag" for being friends with him. Roddy left school after being brutally attacked by bullies, and she hadn't seen him since. Now he's back, and though he now calls himself Rick, he still attracts the same negative attention.
'It is 1968. Paddy Clarke is ten years old, breathless with discovery: He reads with a child's voraciousness, collecting facts the way adults collect grey hairs and parking tickets. Doyle captures the speech pattern of childhood brilliantly, the weird logic of incessant questions, the non-sequiturs and wonderments ... Like all the great comic writers Roddy Doyle has become an explorer of the heart.' Joseph O'Connor, Irish Times
