Book Review: The Quest Begins: Seekers, Book 1
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that the world of the bears is a cruel
and sometimes bloody one, in which bears fight with each other
and are shot by humans. A mother bear is killed by orca whales
in front of her daughter, bears hunt and kill prey, and one
bear mauls a human.
Families who read this book could discuss the bears' lives in the zoo and in the wild. Are the zoo bears better off? Can bears thrive in what's left of the wilderness? What about other animals?
Common Sense Media Review
Erin Hunter, the pseudonym for a group of writers who
created the various
Warriors fantasy series about feral cats, takes her time
getting this new series about bears started. By the end not all
of the characters have even met, the quest referred to in the
title is undefined, the fantasy element only starts to come
out, and a real plot has not yet emerged, though it is hinted
at. What you get instead is a vivid and realistic portrayal of
the lives of different types of bears in a time of global
warming, shrinking habitat, and human intrusion, from the
points of view of bear cubs who think and communicate with each
other like humans, even as they act like bears.
The chapters rotate among the three main characters as their stories gradually begin to converge. Though there's much wandering and only hints of the story to come, readers will be gripped by the fascinating and often cruel lives of the bears, and by the vivid settings. A cliffhanger ending, along with the mysterious hints about what is to come will leave young readers hungry for more. Warriors fans looking for more of the same will be disappointed, but animal lovers will find this story's mix of anthropomorphism and realism appealing, and Hunter may find an entirely new audience.
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