Mortimer: Rat Race to Space

A spot on the International Space Station (ISS) has opened up, and Mortimer, a journal-keeping lab rat, is not about to miss his chance to become an intergalactic space rat. And that’s just the first step in his master scheme to prove that rats are much better suited than humans when it comes to a future mission to Mars.

Mortimer sets out to expose the impracticality of human astronauts by conducting experiments and recording the evidence for YouTube. As far as he’s concerned, pellet-eating rats are much easier to feed than fussy humans, and just think of all the unwashed underthings floating around the galaxy—especially when compared to the versatile rattail!

But when Mortimer’s schemes go awry, he is forced to face new truths about dreams, friendship, and choosing the right thing to do. Maybe not everything is a rat race.

• Ages: age: 9-12 years
• Shortlisted, Red Cedar Children’s Choice Book Award, British Columbia, 2024
• Listed in Best Books for Kids & Teens, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, Spring 2023
• Toronto Public Library TD Summer Book Program recommended title, 2023
• Selected for the 2024/25 Reading Link Challenge (RLC)—an award-winning program in British Columbia that promotes the sport of reading. Teams of grade 4 and 5 students compete in a series of trivia challenges based on six preselected books.

Read excerpt | Download Teacher’s Guide | Watch the book trailer.

“An absolutely charming adventure. Fans of The Secret of NIMH will love this!” ― Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo award-winning author of Far-Seer