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The Quest Begins: Seekers, Book 1 (by Erin Hunter)

common sense media says

Slow start to series about talking bears on quest.


parents & educators say
  • 40% say violence is an issue
  • 40% say there are positive messages

What parents need to 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.

Violence: 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 a bear mauls a human.
Sex: Not applicable.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.

More on The Quest Begins: Seekers, Book 1

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about 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?

What's the story?

What's the story?
A polar bear cub in an era of disappearing ice loses her mother to orca whales. A grizzly cub's mother abandons him after his sickly brother dies. And a black bear cub, who lives in a zoo, escapes to find the grizzly after meeting his captured mother. All three must learn to survive in the wild on their own, and all three are drawn by the North Star toward a mysterious fate. Includes maps of the bears' journeys.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
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.

Book themes & details

Book Details
Author: Erin Hunter
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Publication date: May 27, 2008
Number of pages: 293
Hardcover price: $16.99
Read Aloud: 10
Read Alone: 11

This review was written by Matt Berman
 
 

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What parents & educators say

6
Based on 5 parent & educator reviews:
  • 40% say violence is an issue
  • 40% say there are positive messages

Most useful reviews by all members

Avada Kedavra
teen, 14 years old
 
Skip It
I didn't like this book at all. Too slow, and I didn't like the plot. The four Erins have another series, Warriors. Read that instead.

Nanuk
kid, 12 years old
 
Eh, Fine
It was one of those books you finish, close, and forget it. If you know as a Seekers fan, it's true, I am, but the first book to me, really stinks. I thought it was slow, boring, and awful compared to the fast-paced Warriors series. The rest of the books in this series are great, though. I also love the names of the characters. Also, I liked the messages about preserving wildlife.

sfv
parent of 19 year old
 
who dies in the plane crash again? i know her name starts with an "n"

LadyKitKat11
teen, 14 years old
 
Meh...
Erm, this one was slow and wasn't going anywhere. They were okay... Erin, you wasted your time on these, you should be writing more Warriors...

I-Man
kid, 12 years old
 
Good
Good, but Warriors is better.

Toad22222
teen, 14 years old
 
Great New Series other the other great Warriors Series by Erin Hunter!
I loved this book and also the other series, Warriors by Erin Hunter. I think it is a good role model because it makes me understand the world in an animals point of view better.

Ryan Choynake
teen, 15 years old
 
Erin Hunter Rocks!
It is a great novel

 
When will they review warriors?! Warriors is SO much better!

Angel122796
teen, 15 years old
 
Pretty good, but could never beat Warriors.
The Seekers series is pretty good, but definitely a step down from Erin Hunter's series Warriors. Despite this, I recommend you read the series, especially if you're a fan of Warriors. I agree with most of the other reviewers: The first book is slow & just ok, the rest of the series gets better. Not really what I would have expected Erin Hunter's second series to be, but still an ok read. They definitely took an environmental viewpoint in this series, with the bears constantly running into oil drills everywhere they go & Ujurak saying how all the animal species are being affected, etc. If you like Warriors or Guardians of Ga'hoole, you may like Seekers.

SilverSnake
teen, 15 years old
 
To me it is better than Warriors... (Dont kill me!)
I think its mostly me and NorthernNights that actually likes this book fully. To others its confusing I suppose, but I love this book! I do actually like it more than warriors. But of course I love bears more, they DO have the names of the switching characters on the next chapter.

Iceynose
kid, 13 years old
 
soooo interesting I couldn't keep my nose out of it!
It takes you into the world of bears. it has some funny parts in it but I think you should read the back before you start reading it, it gives you an idea of the book I think rating the prey and frighting each other as violence is a bunch of fox dung it just bears being bears and went a bear mules a human there is a reason and a very good one.

iluvtv01
teen, 14 years old
 
There is definitely some violence in the Seekers series, that might be unpleasant for some children under 10, but it can be a fun thing to read, with all the excitement.

LuckyPleo
teen, 14 years old
 
If you are a mature person who isn't going to be a baby and complain that there is no action, then this book is perfect!
This book is amazing, as is the whole series. Many others say "Doesn't compare to warriors" or "way too slow" but it's not. If you are mature and dignified enough to read a book that every other sentence is not about action or peril, then you will love this book. It has great messages about nature. Kallik and Lusa are great roll models, so is Urjak, even Toklo makes hard decisions about doing what is right and doing what he was taught. This book really changed my views on many things. There are endless "book layers" as you may call it. I love this book and the series, it may "start out slow" as some say, but it's about a journey, so it's fun to track the bears on the map in the front of the book, as it is also to compare the human and bear maps. I love this book, it may not have the action of Warriors, but it has much more dignity and story, as well as the pure beauty of nature.

cheesecake125
parent of 13 and 14 year old
 
Great series
Seekers series shows the life of bears and animals and how cruel it is. There are bloody violent scenes but it goes into the lives of the bears.

bookworm12345511
teen, 16 years old
 
not as good as warriors
these books arent amazing but there not bad the warriors r way better there about cats not bears and theres 21 books i love them

poesiden7227
kid, 12 years old
 
The Quest Begins
In the beginning it is boring.Not all sentences make sense like in the book it said,"she went lay down" and that did not make sense to me.This book may be hard for "not-good readers".Other than that I loved the suspense and action in this book.On a scale on 1-100 I would truthfully give the book a 60.

Cheeky monkey
kid, 11 years old
 
This sad story of how the bears left there family realy touched my soft spot.

SWIFTER
teen, 17 years old
 
Confusing Book!
I'm not saying the book stinks but It was VERY confusing to me because there were too many characters and there were times where I had absolutely no idea what was happening.

NorthernNights
teen, 15 years old
 
Don't be such a Bee-Brain and love this book!
Wow, this is so creative! I love it! As a blood born Alaskan of course I love this! I wouldn't have the patience to write all of it, but it is really fun to read :) There may be a few 'battles' between the bears, but nothing goury. I mean I've heard worse. Just love it.

keetsumoo979
kid, 9 years old
 
Love it!
A really addicting book in a really addicting series. The rest of the books in the series are better though.

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