VASCO, LEADER OF THE TRIBE

Stale writing impedes this tale of a rat’s quest for a home. Vasco’s tribe lives on the wharf, eating their fill of humans’ plentiful trash. One day, Vasco returns home from foraging to find an empty nest and an unfamiliar smell. Investigation reveals broad extermination, threatening all the city’s rats—sewer rats, harbor rats, alley rats. Shielding the few youngsters left from his original tribe, Vasco tries to join another tribe, crosses the ocean in a ship, traverses mountains and finally settles in a jungle. Along the way, his new tribe grows and bonds, fighting other tribes and various dangers. Vasco wants only peace and a safe place to settle; tribe members sometimes chafe at his pacifism and question his leadership, preferring to brawl for territory. An uneasy sadness pervades Vasco’s travels until the very end, when he finally finds joy. Bondoux’s placid, factual style makes for a dull read, but readers who persist will find a lingering tenderness. (Fantasy. 8-11)