num_pages: 320
description: A paddle wheeler cruises up the Mississippi, delivering mail and hosting an occasional concert. A scene straight out of the nineteenth century? Not quite. This Mississippi is a toxic brown river. And the paddle wheeler is run by the River Rats, a troop of orphans who survived the Flash--a nuclear holocaust. What were once huge cities are now plague-ridden ruins, haunted by gangs of savage children. And the concerts the Rats play are post-apocalyptic rock and roll, a music as rough and ragged as the musicians who perform it. When the Rats rescue a stranger from the river, suddenly all the troubles of the old world threaten to end their travels forever. “This adventure is too good to miss.”-- Booklist
language: English
title: River Rats
titlecomplete: River Rats
genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Young Adult, Teen, Post Apocalyptic, Fiction, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy
ratings_count: 275
awards: awardedAt: 725875200000
name: Golden Duck Award
category: Young Adult (Hal Clement Award)
publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers