Author David Keyes created an unlikely duo that has captured the hearts and minds of readers around the world. It is the classic story--part of which has now come true--of an experiment to increase intelligence, in which researchers first transform a laboratory mouse named Algernon into a genius. Charlie Gordon, who tells them, "I want to be smart," eagerly volunteers to follow in Algernon's four-legged footsteps through the maze of acquiring knowledge and learning about life.