by Erin Hunter
Rusty, a domestic kitten, knows he was destined for greater things. He sits on the fence and stares into the woods. Cats are hunters, why is he fed his food in a bowl? One day Bluestar, the clan leader of one of the 4 great cat clans of the forest gives Rusty a chance to leave all that behind and become a clan cat. Rusty, now Firepaw, begins training as an apprentice warrior of ThunderClan. He kills his prey and brings food to the clans, he does patrols with his mentor. This life is his dream, but clan life is not so simple. There are four clans in the forest, ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan. They are watched over by the ancestors that have left them and joined StarClan. The ambition and bitterness of some members will tear the clans apart, if someone doesn't make the clans see the truth. But that may be beyond even StarClan's power
Rusty, a domestic kitten, knows he was destined for greater things. He sits on the fence and stares into the woods. Cats are hunters, why is he fed his food in a bowl? One day Bluestar, the clan leader of one of the 4 great cat clans of the forest gives Rusty a chance to leave all that behind and become a clan cat. Rusty, now Firepaw, begins training as an apprentice warrior of ThunderClan. He kills his prey and brings food to the clans, he does patrols with his mentor. This life is his dream, but clan life is not so simple. There are four clans in the forest, ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan. They are watched over by the ancestors that have left them and joined StarClan. The ambition and bitterness of some members will tear the clans apart, if someone doesn't make the clans see the truth. But that may be beyond even StarClan's power
Audience
The reading level is recorded as middle school, but I've known 8 year olds to get into these. Possibly high fifth grade. It gets dark, but no worse then Harry Potter #3 (The Prisoner of Azkaban),
Why I Love These Books
I've never looked at a cat the same way since reading these. These stories are nothing new, but the journey is delightful. The plot never really surprised me, but I loved it nonetheless. I love that there are many strong female characters who are fully fleshed out and have an integral role in the plot. This is a series I'd recommend to reluctant readers if it falls in their interest. If you can get a kid into these, they'll have a rich supply. Lots of books here.
Cautions
1) It does get dark. There are some intense scenes
2) This is one of those stories with an Emperor Palpitine type villain. The villain seems good, but is manipulative and heartless. And just creepy
3) I've heard people say the characters are hard to keep track of. I'll admit to using the chart in the front of the book
Series
Into the Wild
Fire and Ice
Forest of Secrets
Rising Storm
A Dangerous Path
Darkest Hour
Stand Alone Books (Caveat-I haven't read any outside the original series, so I can't recommend them)
Firestar's Quest
Bluestar's Prophesy
SkyClan's Destiny
Crookedstar's Promise
Midnight
Moonrise
Dawn
Starlight
Twilight
Sunset
Warriors: The Power of Three
The Sight
Dark River
Outcast
Eclipse
Long Shadows
The Fourth Apprentice
Fading Echos
Night Whispers
Sign of the Moon
The Forgotten WarriorThe Last Hope-to be released next year
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