Redwall

= //Redwall// by Brian Jacques =

Redwall Abbey, in the heart of Mossflower Woods, is a place of refuge and peace. The mice of the abbey have long offered sanctuary and aid to animals in trouble. Matthias, a young mounce training at the Abbey to become a healer, longs for adventure. His wish is granted when Cluny the Scourge, an evil one-eyed rat with a poison tale, declares war on the Abbey, attacking with his vermin army.
 * Plot: **

While the Abbey residents defend Redwall, Matthias, aided by Methuselah, an old Abbey librarian, goes on a quest for the Sword of Martin, a supposedly magic sword once wielded by Martin, a legendary warrior. Matthias is convinced this sword will help the animals of Redwall defeat Cluny. In order to retrieve the sword, Matthias must defeat the giant snake, Asmodeus.

Along the way to get the sword of Martin, Matthias gathers a group of animal friends. Once Matthias has the Sword of Marting, they all return to fight with the other Abbey inhabidants against Cluny. The battle is violent and many lives are lost, but Matthias rises to the occassion, displaying great leadership and courage, defeating Cluny.

Originally I had selected a book called //Into the Wild// by Erin Hunter to include in this collection. //Into the Wild// is part of the very popular Warriors series, which features a world of anthropomorphized cats. In the midst of reading that book, I learned that Brian Jacques, the author of //Redwall//, had died and I was reminded of the wonderful //Redwall// series, which also features anthropomorphized animals. Into the Wild is a popular title with tweens, but compared with Redwall, I could not in good conscience defend its place in a core collection over Jacques's novel.
 * Personal Reflections: **

Besides containing a fascinating, fully-realized world, //Redwall// is a real page-turner. It's non-stop action and adventure. Even though this is a world of forest creatures, it is not overly cute. In fact, the battle scenes are incredibly violent with animals dying in horrific ways. It is much more in the tradition of //Watership Down// than Disney. In addition to the action/adventure story, Jacques raises some interesting questions about peace. The Abbott at Redwall wants peace, but is forced into war.

The language is rich and descriptive, which may make it a difficult read for younger tweens. Older tweens may balk at reading a novel that features animals as the main characters. However, this is one sharp adventure tale.

Fantasy, Adventure, Hero/Heroine Tale
 * Genre: **

Ages 10-14
 * Reading Level: **

Redwall is the first in the Redwall Series, which includes 21 other books.
 * Series Information: **

//Redwall// was adapted into a television series of the same name in 1999. The series ran three seasons. The first season was based on the novel, Redwall. The latter two seasons were based on other novels in the series.
 * Television Adaptation: **

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Lancashire Libraries Children’s Book of the Year Award <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Western Australian Young Readers Award <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Awards: **

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Brian Jacques's Official Website
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Links of Interest: **

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Citation:** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Jacques, B. (1986). //Redwall//. New York, NY: Philomel Books.