In the Summer of the Late Rose, when vicious invaders threaten the peaceful life around Redwall Abbey, a brave youngster named Matthias rises to the challenge.  Inspired by the legend of the great warrior Martin, he sets out to find a legendary sword with which to defend his people.  Meanwhile, the marauders, led by the chillingly evil Cluny the Scourge, besiege the Abbey.  Before it's all over, Matthias will have to fight a dread serpent and, of course, Cluny himself.   It all sounds familiar enough I suppose, except for one thing : Matthias is a mouse, Cluny is a rat, and the serpent isn't a dragon, it's actually a snake.

Brian Jacques, whose Redwall series has become a well deserved bestseller, had the ingenious idea of combining classic fantasy elements, like those found in Tolkien, with animal characters, a la Watership Down, to create a story which is uniquely accessible to kids.  After all, this isn't just good vs. evil, it's also little vs. big.  Of course, I'm forty and the rats scared the beejezus out of me, so you might not want to try these with really little kids.  But preteens who are anxiously awaiting the next installment of Harry Potter can fill their empty hours with these books which are every bit as good.  And if you taking your kids on a long car ride, I particularly recommend the unabridged audio version, narrated by Jacques, but with additional voices--it's terrific.

(Reviewed:18-Jul-01)

Grade: (A) Orrin C. Judd

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