<DIV><DIV>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.”--<i>Booklist</i><br></DIV>