Redwall (The Redwall Series #1) by Brian Jacques
Redwall Abby, a peaceful little corner of Mossflower Wood, is attacked by a vicious bilge rat and his horde determined to destroy the tranquil life by any means necessary. The residence band together to defend Redwall by their wit and courage.
For a children’s novel, this book took me from humble beginnings through heroic feats to a fantastic ending. I am now forever a fan of Matthias and his plucky attitude to always get things done, facing his obstacles with just a little bit of clumsiness.
The characters, all of them, were well-rounded, from a feisty badger to a jovial hare, a sweet field mouse, a regal cat, and perfectly evil scourge of a rat all combined to make an intriguing and hilarious cast of characters. I know I should be singing praises for Matthias since the story is mainly about him and I do love his character, but I think by far my favorite characters in the entire book were the Sparra. Their ‘flighty’ battle-minded way of thinking and acting really came alive in their actions and speech. I do hope to see more of them in future stories.
Favorite Description from the Book:
The new day dawned in a haze of soft sunlight. It crept across the countryside suddenly to expand and burst forth over all the peaceful woods and meadowland. Blue-gold tinged with pink, each dewdrop turned into a scintillating jewel, spiders’ webs became glittering filigree, birdsong rang out as if there had never been a day as fresh and beautiful as this one.
There are a total of twenty-two books in the series and I don’t know if I will get around to all of them, but I can say confidently I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a book for a younger reading audience packed with adventure.
If your interested in reading this book, you can find it on Amazon at a cost of $8.99 for an ebook or you can likely find it at your local library.