From the New Yorker “20 Under 40” author of Atmospheric
Disturbances comes a brain-twisting adventure story of a girl
named Fred on a quest through a world of fantastical creatures,
strange logic, and a powerful prejudice against growing up.
Fred and her
math-teacher mom are always on the move, and Fred is getting sick of
it. She’s about to have yet another birthday in a new place without
friends. On the eve of turning thirteen, Fred sees something strange
in the living room: her mother, dressed for a party, standing in
front of an enormous paper lantern—which she steps into and
disappears.
Fred follows her and
finds herself in the Land of Impossibility—a loopily illogical
place where time is outlawed, words carry dire consequences, and her
unlikely allies are a depressed white elephant and a pugnacious
mongoose mother of seventeen. With her new friends, Fred sets off in
search of her mom, braving dungeons, Insult Fish, Fearsome Ferlings,
and a mad Rat Queen. To succeed, the trio must find the solution to
an ageless riddle.
Gorgeously
illustrated and reminiscent of The Phantom Tollbooth and The
Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Rivka Galchen’s Rat Rule 79 is an
instant classic for curious readers of all ages.