21. Taggerung by Brian Jacques

Taggerung by Brian Jacques
ISBN: 0441009689
Ace Fantasy, New York, 2001
403 pages

Teaser: Two warring animal clans battle each other as good versus evil battles on, with Deyne, a young otter taken to Sawney Rath to lead them. Deyne and Taggerung rebel and seek their true families and place in this swashbuckling, medieval times these story.

Summary: Small forest animals from the above and underworld fight to kill off the other and hide from being killed. They must work together to find strength and strategies to keep off dangers that threaten them each day. The descriptions of the journeys and lengths that the animals travel is quite detailed, as if the food they consume during their conquests. The animals take on the feel of pirates and princes as they dress for battles and joust with mini weapons. You can almost feel the strength in their convictions to their truth beliefs and the good and evil weighing on the decisions they make. The characters get lost looking for clues, are nearly drown by the rain and curl up under leaves as shelter in this delightful fantasyland.

Evaluation: I liked this book for its transformation of the typical pirate into animal characters. They talk as if they are huge and equal to the large animals of the land, who can easily travel farther distances and are undoubtfully stronger and have a better sense of travel of the land than the tiny underground creatures.

Challenge issues and age recommendation: The book speaks of killing and harsh conditions for its characters. The swashbuckling language also takes a bit of getting used to if you don’t follow it along. I would are commend this book for ages ten and up. This is the 14th book in a series by the author, which can be enjoyed alone, or in order of the writings.