


New fantasy trilogy takes middle school readers by storm
Rabbits with swords - an irresistible combination
The Green Emberby S.D. Smith
written for ages 11-14 | recommended
published in 2014 | Story Warren Books | 368 pages
written for ages 11-14 | recommended
published in 2014 | Story Warren Books | 368 pages
“Rabbits with swords” – it’s an irresistible combination, and all I had to say to get my two oldest daughters to beg me to start reading.
As you might expect of a sword epic, this has a feudal feel, with rabbit lords and ladies, and noble rabbit knights and, of course, villainous wolves. This is children’s fiction, intended for preteens and early teens, so naturally the heroes are children too. The story begins with siblings Pickett and Heather being torn from the only home they’ve known, pursued by wolves, and separated from their parents and baby brother.
It’s this last detail that might warrant some caution as to how appropriate this would be for the very young. It isn’t clear if Mom, Dad and Baby Jack are dead…but it seems like that might well be, and that could be a bit much for the very young. They escape to a community that is hidden away from the ravaging wolves, and made up of exiled rabbits that once lived in the Great Wood. Their former and peaceful realm fell to the wolves after it was betrayed from within, so now these rabbits in exile look forward to a time when the Great Wood will be restored. Or as one of the wisest of these rabbits puts it,
…we anticipate the Mended Wood, the Great Wood healed…. We sing about it. We paint it. We make crutches and soups and have gardens and weddings and babies. This is a place out of time. A window into the past and the future world.
Though God is never mentioned, and the rabbits have no religious observance of any kind, author S.D. Smith’s Christian worldview comes through in passages like this, that parallel the way we can recall a perfect past, and look forward to a perfected future. It’s this depth that makes this more than just a rollicking tale of rabbits in peril. There is prequel, The Black Star of Kingston, and a sequel, Ember Falls, which are both very good, but this is the book with which to start.
So, my overall take is two very enthusiastic thumbs up for anyone ten and up.
Jon Dykstra blogs on books at ReallyGoodReads.com.

Being loved unconditionally is the most powerful experience a human being can have. It gives us the strength to face the present and hope to face the future. It is the mortar which binds families and societies together.
Yet, as Doug Mainwaring points out in his essay in today’s selection of stories, unconditional love is undermined by powerful social trends like abortion, divorce and same-sex marriage. They make love conditional upon having the right characteristics. After a couple of generations, the experience of rejection changes the way we feel about one another. It’s a powerful and thought-provoking essay.
Michael Cook
Editor
MERCATORNET
The death of unconditional love By Doug Mainwaring Unconditional love is still the world's only hope. Read the full article |
New fantasy trilogy takes middle school readers by storm By Jon Dykstra Rabbits with swords - an irresistible combination Read the full article |
Scotland, referendums and rugby union By Marcus Roberts Will 2018 see Scotland leave the Union? Read the full article |
Moral lessons: how church and state differ in what they teach By Patrick F. Fagan When they are fairly well aligned on moral issues society goes smoothly. Read the full article |
How trade with China hurt marriage prospects for low-skilled men By Robert VerBruggen A new study shows that a trade shock disproportionately affected low-waged men. Read the full article |
A distant sound of breaking alliances By Michael Cook Transgender activism may be shattering its partnership with gays, lesbians and feminists Read the full article |
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Are American Jews falling out of love with Israel? By Michael N. Barnett A new book examines the tension between commitments to Jews and non-Jews. Read the full article |
Spain’s bizarre appointment By Marcus Roberts Has it really got that bad? Read the full article |
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