Urchin and the Heartstone

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As the inhabitants of the island of Mistmantle prepare for the coronation of Crispin the squirrel, robes are stitched, cakes are baked, wine is brought up from cellars, and the Heartstone—the unique gold-and-silver-flecked stone that only the rightful ruler of the island can hold—is readied.But the newly established peace in Mistmantle is soon under threat. A storm-ravaged ship from a distant land appears in the mist surrounding the island; a dramatic revelation about the revered Heartstone comes to light; and the extrasensory powers of a young islander reveal the evil close at hand.Urchin finds himself journeying to a hostile island, where the maniacal King Silverbirch and his sorcerer, Smokewreath, await him. There, Urchin will have to face challenges greater than those her has ever known, and in so doing, he will learn a secret about his past that will change his life forever.From School Library JournalGrade 4-7–In this sequel to Urchin of the Riding Stars (Hyperion, 2005), Mistmantle's animal inhabitants are preparing for the coronation of Crispin the squirrel. All does not go smoothly, and Urchin, a Companion to the King, is kidnapped and taken to the island of Whitewings, where he is imprisoned by a silver-obsessed dictator. As is always the case in books of this genre, good is victorious in the end. Readers leave the animals to their happy lives, though presumably there will be some new disaster presented in another installment. While predictable, this is an engaging read with appealing characters and lots of action. Rayyan's whimsical illustrations at the beginning of each chapter are quite effective. Unfortunately, the artist repeatedly represents a character that was meant to be a hedgehog as a mole. This is a minor criticism, but it is an inconsistency that fans of this genre are likely to notice. The similarities to Brian Jacques' Redwall series (Philomel) are obvious. It is interesting to note that McAllister avoids the implication that some animals are just born bad by having the evil characters come from the same species as the good ones. The author also uses a slightly smaller cast of characters and steers away from the use of any potentially confusing dialect, which makes this series approachable for readers who may not be quite ready for the Redwall books.–Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.About the AuthorM. I. McAllister has written several previous novels, published by Oxford University Press in the United Kingdom, including The Secret Miceand most recently The Octave of Angels. She is married to a minister and has three nearly grown-up children. She lives with her family in Yorkshire, England.