Bibliography
Jacques, B., & Chalk, G. (1986). Redwall. New York: Philomel Books.
Summary
Redwall Abbey is a sanctuary for all peaceful creatures seeking aid and shelter. The peaceful monks are known throughout the surrounding countryside and are allowed to travel unhampered by boarders and are welcomed by all. Life is peaceful for the creatures of Redwall until the day that Cluny the Scourge arrived. Bringing his army of rats and other sly rodents, the giant sea rat seeks to take over the Redwall Abbey and exploit the surround land. Redwall is besieged, but a brave young monk named Matthias remembers the story of Martin, the hero of Redwall, and seeks his legacy to defend the Redwall Abbey. Matthias endures many hardships as he searches for the weapons and armor of Martin the Warrior, but eventually recovers the missing items and makes powerful allies in the process. The conflict reaches a climax when Cluny finally breaches the abbey walls, only to find an army raised by Matthias and Redwall ready to defend their homes. Matthias and Cluny fight to the death, and Matthias is eventually the victor, bringing peace back to Redwall.
Impression
The book was very interesting as the author played on the natural strengths and attributes of all the different animals for their roles in the conflict. The weasels were the sly spies, Constance the badger was the strong arm for the abbey, and Basil Stag Hare was the slightly insane, quick on his feet, war veteran rabbit. The characters were very well developed, and the world was rich and very fun to visit.
Reviews
“What on the surface appears to be just another medieval fantasy peopled with animals enacting the fight to the death between good and evil is actually a rich and thought-provoking novel on the nature of good and evil. The peaceful life of the mice of Redwall Abbey is shattered by the onslaught of the fierce rate, Cluny the Scourge, and his army of rats, weasels, and other vermin. The mice and the other peaceful animals take refuge in the Abbey’s strong walls while Cluny lays siege. Advantage is with the besieged (as long as the food supplies last), and the Abbey defenders are able to withstand numerous attacks. Cluny cannot be completely defeated, however, until the sword of Martin, the legendary warrior who founded Redwall Abbey, can be found. A young novice, Matthias, embarks on a quest and ultimately finds it, but a wise cat reminds him that it is just a sword. It attained its legendary status because Martin used it only in the defense of right and good. Just as Martin’s sword is neither good nor evil, the characters avoid being simply personifications of their attributes. The defenders, even Matthias, have faults, while even Cluny displays characteristics which make him not likeable, but at least deserving of a grudging admiration. The book is violent, and at some times downright gruesome, but the quality of the writing, the rich cast of characters, the detailed accounts of medieval warfare, and Jacques’ ability to tell a good story and make readers think all earn Redwall a place on library shelves.”
Harding, S. (1987). Redwall (Book Review). School Library Journal, 33(11), 96.
“Only the lost sword of Martin the Warrior can save Redwall Abbey from the evil rat Cluny and his greedy horde. The young mouse Matthias (formerly Redwall's most awkward novice) vows to recover the legendary weapon. In the course of his quest, Matthias forges strong ties with various local animals. As much as the magic of the sword, it is the help of these new friends that enables Matthias to defeat Cluny once and for all. Jacques's clever use of detail creates an animal world as compelling as that of The Wind in the Willows. From the beginning, each of Redwall's characters is endowed with a unerringly distinct personality: there is a powerful badger named Constance; a mute squirrel named Silent Sam, who knows the forest better than anyone; and his mother Jess, a champion climber who leads a splendid rescue of a piece of the abbey's tapestry. This epic adventure contains elements of all grand quests, with heroic archetypes that will keep fans of Tolkein and King Arthur tales engaged to the final battle.”
(1987). Redwall. Publishers Weekly.
Library Use
Redwall is a good book for an introduction to the fantasy genre. The characters are accessible by younger readers, but there is enough action to keep older readers entertained as well.
Bibliography
DuPrau, J. (2003). The city of ember (1st ed.). New York: Random House.
Summary
The city of Ember was created by the Builders as a last hope for humanity, a safe place to rebuild society for 200 years. The Builders left instructions with the mayor of Ember on how to leave the town once the time had elapsed, but man’s memory is short and their hearts greedy, and soon the instructions were lost and forgotten, and Ember became all that people knew. In the year 241, it is assignment day for the school in Ember. Once a resident reaches the age of 12, he or she is assigned a job to do for the rest of their lives. When Lina chooses the job of Pipeworks worker, she knows that she has the worst luck. However, when Lina is leaving, her classmate Doon offers to trade his job of messenger, the job that Lina wanted. Lina is thrilled and rushes home to tell her grandmother and baby sister. Lina tells them the news and life continues better than she could hope. As she delivers messages, she notices that things in Ember are getting worse by the day. Power outages are resulting in city wide blackouts, light bulbs are become scarce, and even food is being rationed. With all these things on her mind, she returns home to find her grandmother clearing out her closest, searching for something very important, though she can’t remember what it is. Lina finds a piece of paper that has been destroyed by her little sister with the instructions the Builders left to leave the city. Conspiring with Doon, they plan to leave the city to see what is out in the world and hopefully find the future hope for Ember.
Impression
The book was good, if simply written. The characters weren’t very approachable and were difficult for me to connect with. The story was given away by the prologue where the story explained what was in the instructions so the mystery and anticipation wasn’t there. The book could have been done a lot better, and it felt like it was written for someone below its intended age range.
Reviews
“This promising debut is set in a dying underground city. Ember, which was founded and stocked with supplies centuries ago by "The Builders," is now desperately short of food, clothes, and electricity to keep the town illuminated. Lina and Doon find long-hidden, undecipherable instructions that send them on a perilous mission to find what they believe must exist: an exit door from their disintegrating town. In the process, they uncover secret governmental corruption and a route to the world above. Well-paced, this contains a satisfying mystery, a breathtaking escape over rooftops in darkness, a harrowing journey into the unknown and cryptic messages for readers to decipher. The setting is well-realized with the constraints of life in the city intriguingly detailed. The likable protagonists are not only courageous but also believably flawed by human pride, their weaknesses often complementing each other in interesting ways. The cliffhanger ending will leave readers clamoring for the next installment.”
(2003). THE CITY OF EMBER (Book). Kirkus Reviews, 71(10), 749.
“Unlike the rundown dystopia of Lois Lowry's Gathering Blue, the darkness of Ember is essentially literal. Its people, by and large, are honorable and civilized; its governance is democratic if quasi-theocratic; its economy frugal but fair. But there is no natural light in Ember, and the blackouts of its antiquated electrical grid are coming more and more frequently: "running out of light bulbs, running out of power, running out of time--disaster was right around the corner." So thinks Doon, a curious twelve-year-old who, along with his spirited schoolmate Lina, determines to save the city. On a deliberately limited canvas, first-novelist DuPrau draws a picture of a closed society, all of its resources taken from vast but emptying storerooms, with no travel possible beyond the lights of the city. The writing and storytelling are agreeably spare and remarkably suspenseful, and rather than bogging down in explanations of how Ember came to be and how it functions, DuPrau allows the events of the story to convey the necessary information. There's a contrivance or two in keeping the narrative moving, but even the device of a hidden letter, complete with missing words, is used with such disarming forthrightness that readers will be eagerly deciphering it right alongside Doon and Lina. The two protagonists are good sorts, distinctively if not deeply etched, and fans (note: there will be many) will be pleased to know that while Doon and Lina's mission is triumphantly concluded, there's plenty of room for a sequel.”
Sutton, R. (2003). The City of Ember (Book). Horn Book Magazine, 79(3), 343.
Library Use
The book is a good introduction dystopian literature. The story provides enough hope that the reader would be able to enjoy the ending unlike some books like The Giver.
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