The Chronicles of Mistmantle - M.I. McAllister

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Are you one of the many Redwall fans out there? Or do you like the idea of Redwall, but you’re intimidated by the many garbled dialects and length of the books?

If you answered “yes” to either of the above, Mistmantle is for you.  I fell in love with the series at the prologue of the very first book.  The island of Mistmantle is surrounded by heavy blankets of fog – hence the name.  It is said that once you leave Mistmantle, you can never return through the thick, protective shroud.

Urchin, a pale-furred squirrel, is born on a night of Riding Stars, an occasion signifying either good or bad luck.  All the stars are released from orbit and swirl around the sky, free and wild.

Urchin is an orphan from birth, for his mother, having just arrived at Mistmantle, dies on the shore and is washed away.  But Urchin is found and brought to live among the close-knit community of moles, hedgehogs, otters, and squirrels.

As a young squirrel, all Urchin wants is to be a page to the gallant Captain Crispin.  When his dream unexpectedly comes true, he is caught up in a plot against the king which throws Crispin out of position.  Urchin must work with Needle the hedgehog, Captain Padra the otter, and many others to save their freedom and their king.    

The second book, Urchin and the Heartstone, is my personal favorite – a certain part at the end made me cry, and any book that does that usually gets high ratings from me.  I cry easily, but not for books.  But it has great action, a great new character development that comes in, and awesome pacing.  I didn’t really like The Heir of Mistmantle very much – there wasn’t enough action for me and the plot was too simple.  But still, I’m glad I read it.  I think there are a few more books, but I want to stop just in case the series goes bad, like the Warriors did.

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M.I. McAllister’s writing is amazing.  She doesn’t over-use exclamation points, knows just when short sentences are effective and when they are not (*happy scream*), and the way you come to know and love the characters is like magic.  I honestly think I’d go live as an otter on Mistmantle if I could.

I do wish that Urchin had a bigger part in the books.  You know he’s special because of the Riding Stars, but he wasn’t really a big part of anything.  Which makes a little bit of sense – after all, Urchin is only a young squirrel.  His life is just beginning.  What kind of things will he go on to do when he’s older? And what would life on Mistmantle have been without him?

It makes me happy to ponder over. :D 

Here’s a huge plus to the series.  When I realized it after I finished, I think my mouth dropped open.  :D The young animals are actually respectful to their elders.  Especially Urchin.  He always addresses the Captains as “Sir” and he doesn’t think he knows it all.  When he has his own ideas, he gives them in a very deferential way.  How often does this happen in kid’s books anymore? I mean, really – wow.  I read the tiny little “About the Author” section, and it says McAllister is a minister’s wife.  So maybe that’s what it is!

After each book, I felt so full and satisfied.  Oh, goodness, that feeling of satisfaction after finishing a great book…it’s something you can’t buy with money.

Well, actually…I think you can.  Just go pick up Mistmantle. :)

n  For the Record, My Favorite Characters Are:

n  Padra

n  Sepia

n  Hope

n  Lugg (in the third book)

n  Urchin