title: Rat: How the World's Most Notorious Rodent Clawed Its Way to the Top
author:  Jerry Langton 
description: The very word <i>rat</i> can make your flesh crawl as your mouth curls in revulsion. And with a rat population worldwide that outnumbers humans, there is almost no place to go (except Antarctica) to escape rats. As journalist Langton points out in his introductory chapter, rats can do something most other species of animals cannot--they can compete with humans and win. In this engrossing, quick read, Langton leads the reader through the world of the black and brown rats that have formed commensal relationships with humans. Rats are the main vector for the bubonic plague when their infected fleas leave dying rats and then bite humans. Rats eat our food, helping themselves not only to scraps and garbage but also to our stored grain. On the other hand, rats are extremely valuable subjects for medical research because their internal systems are so similar to ours. In chatty prose, Langton discusses every phase of rat-human interactions. <i>Nancy Bent</i><br /><i>Copyright  American Library Association. All rights reserved</i>
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  Dear mouse friends,  
  Welcome to the world of
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The Rodent’s Gazette
  
  
  Editorial Staff
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Geronimo Stilton
  
  
  A learned and brainy  
  mouse; editor of
  
  
  _The Rodent’s Gazette_
  
  
  Thea Stilton
  
  
  Geronimo’s sister and  
  special correspondent at
  
  
  The _Rodent’s Gazette_
  
  
  Trap Stilton
  
  
  An awful joker;
  
  
  Geronimo’s cousin and  
  owner of the store
  
  
  Cheap Junk for Less
  
  
  Benjamin Stilton
  
  
  A sweet and loving
  
  
  nine-year-old  
  mouse; Geronimo’s  
  favorite nephew
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Pages i–111; 194–198 copyright © 2016 by Edizioni Piemme S.p.A., Palazzo  
  Mondadori, Via Mondadori 1, 20090 Segrate, Italy. International Rights ©  
  Atlantyca S.p.A. English translation © 2018 by Atlantyca S.p.A.
  
  
  Pages 112–193 copyright © 2008 by Edizioni Piemme S.p.A., Palazzo Mondadori,  
  Via Mondadori 1, 20090 Segrate, Italy. International Rights © Atlantyca S.p.A.  
  English translation © 2015 by Atlantyca S.p.A.
  
  
  The publisher does not have any control 