SHADOW WALKERS

Life in the Cape Cod rat colony is peaceful; family and community are educated, cultured, comfortable, safe; favorite pastimes are reading, feasting, and conversation. But while young Sara and her brother Peter are aware of their good fortune, they're also restless with unspecified longings. During an emergency, the two and their friend Tom joyfully volunteer to transport insulin to North Cape cousins. Along the way they have several new experiences (some life-threatening); by the time they get home, they've come to terms with who they are and what to do with their lives. During this classic journey, youthful fantasies about staying out all night are fully realized while thoughtful serenity alternates with taut, palm-damping adventure. By way of these philosophical surrogates, the author examines human behavior and finds it wanting in contrast to the rats' utopian community. The setting is vividly depicted; logic falters only when three rats manage to move an unconscious man (though some revered classics are similarly flawed). Fans of Jacques's Redwall and the enduring Mrs. Frisby will enjoy this fine first novel. (Fiction. 10+)