In book one, Into the Wild, a house cat finds adventure when he enters the woods. Joining ThunderClan, he (Firepaw) finds it difficult to make friends, including with Tigerclaw, the #2 in command. However, Bluestar (the head of the clan) takes him in under her wing. It isn’t until Firepaw proves himself that he finds more acceptance, yet Tigerclaw still isn’t one of them. Firepaw learns that the vicious warrior murdered Redtail (another ThunderClan warrior) and is waiting for the right time, and cat, to share this news with.
Story overview:
Having been promoted to a warrior, Firepaw takes on the responsibilities of his new name, Fireheart. Keeping one eye on Tigerclaw, he begins to question the validity of the claim against the warrior. In the meantime, Fireheart is given charge over his own apprentice.
Longing for his old life, Fireheart sneaks back to his old neighborhood. In doing so, he comes across a familiar cat. After sneaking back for countless visits, he begins to question his new lifestyle in the clan.
When his best friend, Graystripe, becomes infatuated with a female cat from another clan, Fireheart wonders about his friend’s loyalty. Yet this problem only escalates when RiverClan teams up with ShadowClan in order to take out the weakened WindClan. Conflicted between his friend, old life, duty as a warrior, and suspicions over Tigerclaw, Fireheart battles to live up to his name and protect that which is most important to him.
My thoughts:
Like the last book, this one was easy to read and pulled me into the pages. I enjoyed continuing along with the characters and experiencing the situations they were put into. My biggest complaint was the ending, which didn’t feel like an ending at all–it left too much unexplained. Of course, that was done on purpose–so the reader would be suckered into getting the next book in the series. Well, it worked. I will be obtaining a copy in the near future and write a review of it here once I have completed the reading.
Things to consider:
There is a ferocity that accompanies this tale as would be appropriate for a nature show. I can see this being disturbing for younger children. No sexual situations or foul language. I would age appropriate this to preteens and older. Also enjoyable for adults who like fantasy stories such as Redwall.
Opportunities for discussion:
Loyalty. That is one of the biggest themes I recognized in this tale. We all know that loyalty is a good trait, yet sometimes, in life, we struggle to know what exactly it is we should be loyal to. This is a part of the growing process as we learn who we really are. Ask your children what they devote themselves to the most, and then share with them this verse: Proverbs 21:21 (ESV), “Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor.” If their loyalty doesn’t follow along this path, perhaps it’s time to do a little redirecting.
Past reviews in this series:
Books For Youth 