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Determined to understand why humans hate cane toads and to improve relations between the species, Limpy embarks on a dangerous trek from his swamp to the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
Chapter 1
"Uncle Bart," said Limpy. "Why do humans hate us?"
Uncle Bart looked down at Limpy and smiled fondly.
"Stack me, Limpy," he chuckled, "you are an idiot."
Limpy felt his warts prickle with indignation as Uncle Bart hopped onto the road after a bull ant.
No wonder I've never heard any other cane toad ask that question, thought Limpy, if that's the reply you get.
Limpy was glad the grass at the edge of the highway was taller than he was. At least the millions of insects flying around the railway crossing light couldn't see who Uncle Bart was calling an idiot.
"Humans don't hate us," Uncle Bart was saying, his mouth full of bull ant and grasshopper. "What are you on about? Stack me, some of the dopey ideas you youngsters come up with..."
Limpy waited patiently for Uncle Bart to finish. Uncle Bart was his fattest uncle, and his bossiest. When Uncle Bart had a point to make, he liked to keep on making it until you gave in and looked convinced.
Tonight, though, Limpy didn't give in.
He didn't have to. When Uncle Bart was getting his mucus in a knot about how humans definitely didn't hate cane toads, a truck came roaring round the corner in a blaze of lights, straightened up, rumbled through the railway crossing, swerved across the road straight at Uncle Bart, and drove over him.
Limpy trembled in the grass while the truck thundered past in a cloud of diesel fumes and flying grit. Then he hopped onto the road and looked down at what was left of Uncle Bart.
The light overhead was very bright because it had a whole railway crossing to illuminate, and Limpy was able to see very clearly that Uncle Bart wasn't his fattest uncle anymore.
Flattest, more like, he thought sadly.
"See," he said quietly to Uncle Bart. "That's what I'm on about."
"Har har har," chortled a nearby grasshopper. "Your uncle's a place mat. Serves him right."
Limpy ignored the grasshopper and turned to watch the truck speeding away into the darkness. From the movement of its taillights he could tell it was weaving from side to side. Each time it weaved, he heard the distant "pop" of another relative being run over.
"Yay," shouted the grasshopper. "More place mats."
Limpy sighed.
He decided not to eat the grasshopper. Mum was always warning him he'd get a bellyache if he ate when he was upset or angry.
To take his mind off Uncle Bart, Limpy crossed the road to have a look at Uncle Roly.
Uncle Roly was extremely flat too, but at least he was smiling.
Which is what you'd expect, thought Limpy sadly, from your kindest uncle, even when he has been dead for two nights.
Limpy reached forward and gently prodded Uncle Roly. He was dry and stiff. The hot Queensland sun had done its job.
Limpy remembered how Uncle Roly had never been dry and stiff when he was alive. He'd always had a warm smile for everyone, even the family of holidaymakers two evenings ago who'd purposely aimed their car straight for him down the wrong side of the road.
"Oh, Uncle Roly," whispered Limpy. "Couldn't you see the way they were looking at you?"
Limpy shuddered as he remembered the scary expressions on the holidaymakers' faces. It was exactly the same look of hatred that had been on the face of the truck driver who'd tried to kill Limpy when he was little.
I was lucky, thought Limpy sadly. When it happened to me, I'd only just finished being a tadpole. I had a pair of brand-new legs and I could hop almost completely out of the way. I only got one leg a bit squashed. Poor old Uncle Roly was completely flat before he knew what hit him.
Limpy felt his crook leg start to ache, as it often did when he was sad and stressed. He gazed down at Uncle Roly's very wide smile and felt his throat sac start to wobble.
Why?
Why would a carload of humans purposely kill an uncle who had such a good heart that he was still smiling two nights after being run over by a station wagon and a caravan?
I don't get it, thought Limpy. I can understand why grasshoppers and other insects don't like us. It's because we eat them. But we don't eat humans. We cant even fit them into our mouths. So why do they hate us?
Limpy felt his warts tingle with determination.
One day, he thought, I'll go to a human place and find out why and try to do something about it, even if I end up dry and stiff and flat myself.
The thought made him feel weak and sick.
"Time to go home, Uncle Roly," he said.
Limpy picked Uncle Roly up, heaved him onto his shoulders, and hopped slowly back across the road to Uncle Bart.
"Bye, Uncle Bart," said Limpy to the damp layer of pressed skin and flat warts on the tarmac. "I'll be back for you when you've dried out."
He wondered if he'd find the courage to visit the humans before he saw Uncle Bart again.
I need to get braver, he thought. But how?
"Rack off, place mat," yelled the grasshopper.
Ignoring all thoughts of bellyache, Limpy ate him.
Practice, thought Limpy as he chewed, that's how.
Chapter 2
"Oh no, Limpy," said Mum in exasperation. "You haven't brought home another dead relative."
Limpy was too puffed to answer. Although the swamp where he lived wasn't very far from the highway, it was still a long haul for a skinny toad with a crook leg and a dried uncle on his back.
"Well, just don't leave him lying around in your room, said Mum. "That room's a pigsty. I'm sick of tidying up dead relatives in there."
"Mum," said Limpy. "Uncle Roly's your brother. Don't you care that he's been run over?"
Mum gave a big sign and leaned against the leaf she'd been preparing dinner on. She put down to ants she'd been stuffing slugs with and closed her eyes.
When she opened them, Limpy could see her throad sac was trembling.
"Oh, Limpy," she said quietly. "Of course I care. But I've got hundreds of brothers and sisters. If I let myself get upset every time one of them's run over, I'll be a nervous wreck."
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Excerpted from Toad Rage by Morris Gleitzman Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Anonymous
Posted November 10, 2006
This is the most awsamest book ever.It is very interesting and cool.I really liked it. I found this book by walking around my school library.It is also very funny.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 10, 2006
this was a totaly awsome book. it was hilarious
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 23, 2006
This book is called Toad Rage. It is a really cool book. It is about cane toads that are trying too figure out why humans hate them. So this cane toad Limpy went to a gas station where a lot of people are at, so he can ask them why do you hate cane toads, but it took him 4 hours to get there because he has a crippled leg, that is why he is called limpy. If you read this i know you will like it,esspecially if you like toads or bugs you will really get into it. If you like it a lot you can buy or read the book Toad Heaven, it is the secquil to Toad Rage. You will really like it if you read it .
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 14, 2012
Locked out of next result.
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Posted January 5, 2012
Hey im a frog and toad person. Toads that go POP! BANG! BOOM! not a big fan
F-
Anonymous
Posted December 28, 2011
At parts it was good....but then it got kinda boring. Would recommend it for kids under 8, as they would have a hard time understanding.
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Posted April 28, 2008
This book is a hooker!! It's funny, interseting, and is just plain outstanding. I agree with Eoin Colfer ( I love his books too) Morris G. is a unique author. I loved Toad Rage!
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 4, 2007
Toad Rage by Morris Gleitzman rated 4 out of 5 stars ¿ Fascinating. Animal fight for survival. Can¿t stop flipping the pages.¿ The cover of the book got my attention for many reasons. It was bright and colourful and this made me think that it was an exciting, adventurous and non-stop action book. I am interested in animals so when I saw the toad at the front cover I was fascinated, instantly knowing that the book is about an animal or animals. Lastly, the title of the book ¿Toad Rage¿ showed that an animal is angry and is trying to do something about it. Once it got me thinking I just had to read and find out for myself. I thought the book would be about a little, unwelcome toad who goes on an adventure and meets new creatures who he makes friends with, and tries to find his way to a relative. Then he would figure out that he got lost and with the help of his new friends he would eventually find the home of his family. The book was kind of what I expected it to be. It was about a toad with an injury who was angry and tried to stop a disaster from happening. In the story there was a bit of cruelty involved as well. I still do feel the same about the book in a few ways. When I saw it I thought it might be a fun book to read and it was. I also imagined it looked a little strange and it did have some weird incidents but there were still lots of exciting parts to read. Lastly, it looked like a funny book and sometimes you would just need to read the part over again. Probably the only thing that changed my feelings about the book is that when I started reading it was a bit confusing but as the story went on it was an easy book to read and understand. I feel that the book was an interesting, action-filled and funny book, as I thought it would be from the start. The book ¿Toad Rage¿ is a heartwarming interesting fiction. The main character is Limpy, a cane toad who has one squished foot which was run over by a car, so he keeps running in circles. Goliath is Limpy¿s friend who goes on a journey with him and together they bond a stronger friendship. The story takes place in Australia first at the marsh, the home of the toads, and later in the city, Sydney, where the 2000 Summer Olympics were held. The story was about Limpy, a cane toad, who wants to figure out why humans hate them so much since they keep crushing them with their cars when crossing the street. Goliath and Limpy start on an adventure together trying to convince humans that they are cute by being added as a mascot for the Olympic Games like the koala, wombat and kookaburra. They both meet a girl who helps them reach their goal and the two of them help the girl fulfill her dream. The two brave toads come back to their home with a solution that will stop the squashing of cane toads. The author Morris Gleitzman grew up in England and then later moved to Australia at the age of sixteen. Morris Gleitzman has had many other jobs besides an author. He was once a frozen-chicken thawer, sugar-mill rolling-stock unhooker, fashion-industry trainee, department-store Santa, TV producer, newspaper columnist, and screenwriter. He had many weird and hilarious jobs that helped him become a comedy novel writer for kids. ¿Toad Rage¿ was his fourteenth book and it seems like there will be many more to come. After reading the story I had a new look on animals, especially the endangered ones, how they are fighting for survival every day and we are one of the reasons they could become extinct. I liked the book because it was funny and it showed some lessons you could learn, like do not take everything for granted. For example don¿t eat a lot at once or else you will get a tummy ache. I disliked the book because it seemed too easy to read and there wasn¿t much description. Overall I liked the book and I would recommend the book for ages 8-14. If you really liked ¿Toad Rage¿ there will
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Posted July 1, 2006
The adventure about a cane toad and it's dim-witted cousin seems like an okay book, and it was. there was nothing special about it, although it was still enjoyable. it was funny and gross, so it's not really a must read, but still, it was pretty good.
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Posted December 11, 2009
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Posted December 29, 2011
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Posted September 27, 2011
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Overview
Limpy’s family reckons humans don’t hate cane toads, but Limpy knows otherwise. He’s spotted the signs: the cross looks, the unkind comments, the way they squash cane toads with their cars. Limpy is desperate to save his species from ending up as pancakes. Somehow he must make humans see how fabulous cane toads really are. Risking everything, he sets off on a wart-tinglingly dangerous and daring journey to . . . the Olympics?This is the epic story of a slightly squashed young cane toad’s quest for the truth.
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