Into the Wild (Warriors, Book 1) [Paperback]

Erin Hunter (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 6, 2004 | Age Range: 8 and up | Lexile Measure: 790L (What's this?)

Fire alone can save our Clan...

For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by the powerful ancestors. But the warrior code is threatened, and the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger. The sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying -- and some deaths are more mysterious than others.

In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary housecat named Rusty . . . Who may yet turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5 Up-Rusty, a young "kittypet" (house cat), yearns for adventure. When he's offered the chance to join the ThunderClan, one of the gangs of feral cats in the area, he doesn't hesitate. Renamed Firepaw, he becomes an apprentice and begins to train as a warrior. After rescuing Yellowfang, ex-medicine cat for the ShadowClan who has fled for her life, Firepaw and the other ThunderClan members find themselves in the middle of a turf war against the rival gang, led by the nefarious Brokenstar. There's a traitor in their midst, though, and Firepaw must learn more than just hunting and fighting to survive. The author has created an intriguing world with an intricate structure and mythology, and an engaging young hero. The supporting cast of players is large and a little confusing, but there are standouts who give dimension to the tale. The difficult life of a feral cat is described in some detail, and a fair amount of violence is included. The ending is left ambiguous-there is definitely more to come. This is not as elegantly written as Brian Jacques's "Redwall" series (Philomel), but it's another option for fans of animal adventure/fantasy stories.
Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-9. For generations, four clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to laws laid down by powerful ancestral clans. But now things are changing: ShadowClan has banished WindClan and is threatening RiverClan and ThunderClan by insisting on hunting rights within their territories. What's more, each year the TwoLegs encroach further into the forest, and prey is becoming scarce. A prophecy reveals, "Fire alone can save [the] Clan." Into this dangerous situation wanders a "kittypet," a young, bright orange tomcat whose courage earns him, despite objections by some, a place as an apprentice ThunderClan warrior and the new name of Firepaw. In this first spine-tingling episode in the planned Warriors series, Firepaw learns the ways of the wild life, facing many dangers and treachery both within and without his new clan. Intelligence notwithstanding, the cat characters are true to their feline nature, making this sure to appeal to fans of Clare Bell's long-popular Ratha's Creature (1983) and its sequels and also to followers of Brian Jacques' ongoing Redwall series. Sally Estes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; Reprint edition (January 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060525509
• ISBN-13: 978-0060525507
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (617 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #61 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Cats

More About the Author

Erin Hunter is the author of the bestselling Warriors and Seekers series. She is inspired by a love of animals and a fascination with the ferocity of the natural world. As well as having great respect for nature in all its forms, Erin enjoys creating rich mythical explanations for animal behavior.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#98 Overall (See top 100 authors)

#95 in Books

#95 in Books

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

163 of 176 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Here kitty kitty. Nice kitty. September 4, 2005

By E. R. Bird HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

Kids are pretty savvy when it comes to discovering books that fill a particular need. At the library where I work, I'd seen them taking out this "Warriors" series by Erin Hunter fairly regularly. For some reason it's near impossible to keep these puppies on the shelves. Curiosity got ahold of me, so I decided to sit down and read through the first of these somewhat odd stories. I would never have been able to guess that the secret lives of cats would be so interesting to children. Housecats, definitely not. But when it comes to the lives and loyalties of the feral variety, Hunter's definitely tapped into a rich resource of text.

Rusty has a fairly good life. He lives with a family of humans (or Two-legs) that love him. He gets regular feedings, even if it's yucky dry stuff. He even has his own little cat door to come in and out of. Rusty isn't content, however. He dreams of catching mice in the forest not far from his home. When a night's exploration of that forest ends with a confrontation with the wild cats that live without human interference, Rusty readily joins them and their clan. Renamed "Firepaw", the cat learns that he has dropped smack dab into the middle of a war. The clan he has joined is called ThunderClan and is ruled by the magnanimous Bluestar. Other clans like RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan fight continually for dominance over a rapidly dwindling food supply. ThunderClan needs recruits like Firepaw to stay alive, and through their training the new cat is on his way to becoming a warrior. Along the way he must face hunger, dismissal, and learn some shocking truths about the animals he's agreed to join.

Hunter conjures up a well-thought out world in which cats have their own system of governance. This is a kind of "Watership Down", but with drawn out fighting sequences. The cats here act like cats. They don't put on vests and waistcoats and discuss philosophy. They don't stand on their hind legs or use their paws like fingers. These are real animals. For the sake of keeping them alive, Hunter does create a kind of Medicine Cat for each clan, who rubs natural herbs into wounds. That's about as technically adept as these kitties get. At the beginning of the book, the author presents us with two maps of the area where this book takes place. A cat-view map lists everything in their terms. A second human-view map makes it clear where exactly the cats actually are.

This is not to say that the book isn't downright silly at times. Hunter loves giving these cats somewhat repetitive names like Nightpelt, Smallear, and Longtail. One cat, Lionheart, has the same name as a carebear from the 1980s. Poor planning on Hunter's part. She also falls into a classic children's literature trap. You know that when the main character has a vital piece of information that he should give someone as soon as possible and he says something along the lines of, "Oh good! Now I can tell this person this vital piece of information", that something's going to come up to prevent him. In this case, Firepaw is given to understand that a friend of his may be killed almost immediately. So does he immediately go out and tell the clan's wise leader? Heck no! He's given TWO chances to do so and each time he keeps quiet for obscure plot-centric reasons. That's really the kind of book that this is. It's fun to read, exciting, and with a new meticulously thought out world. It's also rather predictable.

If you've a kid who's a fan of the "Redwall" series but is more interested in animals that don't wear clothing, this is the book for you. Both boys and girls check it out at a fast and furious rate. It's one of the few series out there that both sexes enjoy fully. A better written book than all the "Magic Treehouse" and "Droon" series out there combined but still less good than, say, Avi's, "Poppy" books or "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH".

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My daughter lives for these books December 16, 2005

By Steven Kerrick

Format:Hardcover

My 9-year-old started the first book in the series a couple of months ago, and now she's read all of them at least once. She gets up in the morning and reads Warrior books instead of getting ready for school. She comes home and reads them instead of doing homework. She reads them at night instead of helping clean up dishes. She has organized her friends into clans. They have clan meetings and put clan marks all over the things in our back yard.

I've read the first couple of the books, starting with Into the Wild, and I can see why she loves them. The characters are so well drawn that you feel like you really know them. They face real moral dilemmas and behave in complex ways. Erin Hunter does not talk down to her readers. There's humor but no silliness. Very good books.

My daughter is in fourth grade, but she reads at sixth grade level. The reading level of these books is like 5.5 or 6.0. Great for anyone 5th grade or higher, and for the advanced 4th grader.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great series for pre-teens. August 5, 2005

By Dances with Wools

Format:Paperback

My eleven year old daughter has been going through this series with a loyalty unmatched so far by other titles. When Harry Potter's last book was released she asked for the next Warriors book. I have not read the books but she tells me about the different cat tribes and their adventures. She laughs out loud, she gets worried, but most importantly she is loving reading these books.