Mistmantle Chronicles, Book One: Urchin of the Riding Stars, The (Paperback)

by M.i. Mcallister (Author), Omar Rayyan (Illustrator) "FROM THE HIGHEST POINT OF WATCHTOP HILL, Urchin could see the whole island ..." (more)

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Product Details

Paperback: 282 pages
Publisher: Miramax; 1st edition edition (Sep 15 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0786854871
ISBN-13: 978-0786854875
Product Dimensions: 18.8 x 13.2 x 2 cm
Shipping Weight: 223 g

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #391,194 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7–Urchin the squirrel believes he is destined for greatness. Dropped from the sky by a gull onto the island of Mistmantle, he is rescued by Crispin, captain to hedgehog King Brushen. He becomes Crispin's page and is quickly embroiled in the murder of the King's young son. When Crispin is framed for the crime and banished, Urchin remains on Mistmantle, working for another captain, Padra the otter. Eyewitness to a power struggle for the throne, he helps fight against cruel new laws and reveals the true murderer. This story will appeal to fans of Brian Jacques's Redwall series (Philomel) as well as to readers who enjoy court intrigue and battle scenes with tons of tails and fur. While the action contains too many coincidences to be believed (someone is always perfectly placed to overhear just the thing needed for the next chapter), the characters are memorable and likable, and the writing is smooth and evenly paced. Urchin rises above other animal stories with flashes of humor as well as weighty issues like murder and cruelty to the weak. Although the plot devices and characterization are fairly stereotypical, the book is worth purchasing, especially given the popularity of this genre. Young readers will be pleased to see this new series hit the shelves.–Caitlin Augusta, The Darien Library, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From AudioFile

Hedgehogs, squirrels, otters, and moles are kings, queens, warriors, and orphans in this island kingdom inhabited by animals. This first installment of the Mistmantle series follows the adventures of a small squirrel, Urchin, who is destined for greatness, though he does not know it himself. Andrew Sachs's extraordinarily pliable voice tells a story that resembles Shakepeare's tragedies in its tangle of intrigue and heroism. It might actually spark young readers' interest in the Bard, so it's worth the listen--although I suspect the audio version improves upon the written book. If you're the parent of a particularly tenderhearted youngster, however, beware. No animal in this story is too charming to escape danger or death. A.M.D. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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FROM THE HIGHEST POINT OF WATCHTOP HILL, Urchin could see the whole island. Read the first page

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4.0 out of 5 stars Well-written fantasy tale for young readers, Aug 22 2005

By	RolnRokk - See all my reviews

This review is from: Urchin of the Riding Stars: The Mistmantle Chronicles: Book One (Audio CD)

M.I. McAllister has created an entertaining anthropomorphic island world where squirrels, moles, otters and hedgehogs engage in a political power struggle in the tradition of epic adventures. The story is told mainly from the perspective of Urchin, an orphan squirrel chosen to serve a noble captain in the royal tower on Mistmantle Island. A malevolent adversary to Urchin's benefactor plots to take control of the island and subjugate the other animals. Quickly thrust into the struggle, the naive Urchin must help regain the island's freedom and redress a great injustice. Along the way he learns valuable lessons about loyalty, friendship and good vs. evil.

The book reads well, with a quick pace that will engage young readers, though children under 10 may miss some of the subtle political jostling. The main characters are fully developed, but supporting players' motivations often must be taken at face value. The author borrows heavily from Shakespeare's MacBeth and Julius Caesar, and thematic elements from other classic adventure stories are also evident.

One distraction for me was the way the author picks and chooses the human aspects of the animal society. The inhabitants of Mistmantle engage in a hodgepodge of animal and human behaviors, with no explained reason. For example, they gather nuts for food but also drink wine; they trade jewels for supplies with animals from neighboring islands, but there is no commerce within the island; fortunate animals live in the stone tower, but the others live in burrows or nests instead of houses. While these inconsistencies likely won't bother young readers, I sometimes found myself thinking about them.

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