Redwall is an enchanting fantasy tale full of love, friendship, hate, peace, war, comedy, sorrow, and more. It is a story about the creatures of Redwall Abbey, a peaceful community of animals including mice, badgers, squirrels, and many other peaceful animals. The main character Matthias, a new member of Redwall, is at first stuck in an awkward stage, trying to find his place in his new home. When the peaceful abbey is threatened by an evil rat called Cluny the Scourge and his posse of evil villains, Matthias must help find a way to protect Redwall and its inhabitants. Even though many animals have readied themselves to stand up against Cluny, Matthias believes that Redwall’s only hope lies in the ancient and hidden sword of Martin the Warrior, and therefore he is determined to follow the clues hidden within the old abbey to find this powerful sword. Realizing the sword has been stolen by a tricky sparrow tribe, Matthias must go on an adventure through Mossflower Woods to retrieve Redwall’s prized sword and defeat the evil rats, killing Cluny the Scourge with the great abbey bell. As the book progresses, Matthias’ natural ability as a leader and Warrior are unveiled, and in the end the dying abbot of Redwall declares the brave mouse Matthias Warrior of Redwall. This is an excellent fantasy book, and would be great for discussing anthropomorphism and character development with students. It not only shows great character change over time, but also generally does a terrific job of developing each individual character in the story. It is also a good book for motivating students to read, because it is extremely interesting, and you really dive into the fantastical land that the author has created. There is a whole series of Redwall books that the students could continue to read, as well as Redwall websites that they could explore.
