Urchin of the Riding Stars

McAllister, Margaret. Urchin of the Riding Stars.New York : Miramax Books/Hyperion Books for Children, 2005.


Plot: A strange, blond squirrel is born on a night filled with shooting stars. While he is fortunate that the creatures of Anemone Wood raise him as their own, the activities within the hedgehog king's palace indicate trouble in the future. When Crispen, the heir to the throne, chooses Urchin, the foundling squirrel, as his page, the protagonist finds himself in the middle of a murder mystery. The mystery appears to end with the banishment of Crispen. Yet, workloads increase despite the successful harvest. Culling of young continues, with potential extensions to the elderly. Strangest of all, Crispen's successor seems to hide a secret. A secret that links to the oldest and darkest tale in the island of Mistmantle's history.

Genre: Animals, Adventure, Coming of Age

Reading Level: Ages 9-12; however, references to a religion known as the Heart and savage fighting sequences may require caution for more sensitive readers.

Similar Titles: Redwall series

Personal Thoughts: The book is the first of the Chronicles of Mistmantle series.

Overall, the title reads extremely similarly to Jacques' series. Concepts such as heroism, coming of age, good versus evil, and heroes made abound. Yet, the series also displays a style of its own. Villains are not limited to predator species. Instead, heroes and villains share the same genus. As such, the story intrigues the reader, since the villain has no obvious distinction from the hero until he or she acts. The danger appears more "mature" than Redwall, since the majority of the danger comes from civil unrest and conspiracy rather than exterior armies and ancient threats. The series provides a good "next read" for fans of Redwall, since its core principles are similar while adopting more subtle, "real world" villains.