Pie Rats

Pie Rats is a series of books by Cameron Stelzer, following his success in the Stroogle series. The books tell of the adventures of an anthropomorphic rat named Wentworth Winterbottom, once a circus rat then adopted and apprenticed by a group of Captain Black Rat's swashbuckling crew called "Pie Rats" aboard their ship the "Apple Pie", a ship in the shape of a pie. As a Pie Rat Wentworth is renamed Whisker. The concept of the story was inspired by Cameron's parent's mischief of rats, plus a fancy for the topics of pirates and pies.
Characters
*Whisker - Originally named Wentworth Winterbottom and a descendant of the famous explorer Anso Winterbottom, he worked as a Circus Rat with his family. Wentworth having been separated from his family in a storm in the Cyclone Sea, is rescued by Captain Black Rat. Being apprenticed by the Pie Rats, Wentworth is renamed Whisker (having escaped by a 'whisker') and is made a member of the crew. He hopes to find his family during his voyage. Inspired by his life at the circus, Whisker is resourceful and full of ideas, that often save the Pie Rats from hostile encounters.
*Captain Black Rat - The commanding captain of the Apple Pie ship. Very serious but sociable and very fond of his crew members, Captain Black Rat is eager to complete and fulfil his father's failed quest for the Treasure of the Isle of Hope.
*Hook Hand Horace - The smallest of the Pie Rats. Lost his arm from a sword fight against the Cat Fish. He uses different hook attachments to assist the crew. He is sometimes a show-off and lacks reading skills, but a good natured rat and quickly befriends Whisker, but he is also Ruby's favourite target to boss around.
*Pencil Leg Pete - The ship's doctor and navigator, who shares the same level of seriousness as Captain Black Rat. He lost his leg during a battle with the Cat Fish and had it replaced with a coloured pencil. He spends a lot of his spare time reading, has great skill in arithmetics and tends to question and double check decisions made.
*Fish Eye Fred - The largest of the Pie Rats. He is the ship's cook, who makes and bakes the pies. He is not very bright, but he is quite gentle and attached to his friends. His muscular frame makes him a strong fighter, though he wields a fork rather than a scissor sword. His large left fish-looking eye is telescopic allowing him to distinguish at a great distance.
*Ruby Rat - The only female member of the Pie Rat crew. She tends to be bossy and is quick to anger, but she treats her crew like family, especially Captain Black Rat, whom she regards as an uncle. She covers her right eye with an eye patch to conceal the mark of a disease which killed her biological family. She wields double scissor swords and fancies herself as the best sword fighter in the crew.
*Professor Tribble - A learned mouse professor, who was taking Eaton and Emmy on a holiday trip. Rescued with the twins by the Pie Rats after a Pie shooting demonstration, Tribble's academic knowledge assists the Pie Rats making him an honorary crew member.
*Eaton and Emmy - Two mouse twin siblings, who accompany Tribble on a holiday trip and then with the Pie Rats. The Pie Rats become like a family to them and as honorary crew members, assist them with chores, but stay behind on the ship wherever it gets dangerous.
*Pearl - A white weasel and a major businesswoman, who get large amounts of goods illegally, resulting in her arrest by the Blue Claw. After being rescued by the Pie Rats, she eventually becomes supportive of them, shows compassion and sponsors them for the Pirate Cup tournament.
*Cat Fish - A crew of vicious and nasty cats, who are eager to beat the Pie Rats to the Treasure of the Isle of Hope. They sail in a boat capped with metal sardine cans. The crew is led by Captain Sabre.
*Blue Claw - A government army of blue crabs, who patrol the sea, ruthlessly arrest and imprison anyone they regard miscreants, requisition property and ransack or torch buildings.
Books
*The Forgotten Map (April 1, 2013)
*The King's Key (February 1, 2014)
*The Island of Destiny (February 1, 2014)
*Trophy of Champions (March 1, 2015)
*Child of the Cloud (2016)
Awards
*In 2014, "The Forgotten Map" won the Children’s Fiction award at the Indie Reader Discovery Awards in New York.
*In 2015, "The Island of Destiny" was named as a finalist in the Children's Fiction category of the 2015 International Book Awards.
Legacy
The Pie Rats series being showcased by the author in various Australian Schools, started many drawing and book reading activities, including Aranda Primary School, Biddah Public School, , Wanniassa School and Star of the Sea Primary School.

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See Also

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