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Just when you thought a relaxing day in the meadow would melt your cares away, along comes word that an outlaw band of rats is planning to take over the monastery where you live. Oh, you say, I don’t live in a monastery. And rats? Who ever heard of an outlaw band of rats taking over anything but a vacant building? Well, if you read Redwall, you’ll be in the middle of the action. There is a heritage of peace and goodness in the monastery that houses the legend of a mouse named Martin the Hero. But Martin the Hero does not rescue the besieged monastery this time; rather, it’s a pipsqueak of a mouse named Matthias who heads the counter attack against the rats. The rats are led by an unsavory one-eyed character named Cluny the Scourge. How can a clumsy mouse like Matthias out-maneuver this rogue and save the good monastery from evil?

There are riddles to solve, codes to be broken, and cliffhangers at the end of each chapter. Lots of kids–as well as many adults– are raving about this book. Even if you don’t like fantasy stories, Redwall by Brian Jacques will keep you reading until you begin to think that a quiet day in the country is not actually what it seems to be.