This is a wonderful telling of a medieval abbey inhabited by mice, hedgehogs, badgers, hares, otters, and squirrels. (I think that's it...) This is the first in the series, and by far the one with the most plot and character developement. The detail is wonderful and, well...descriptive. (This is written in the style of Watership Down, another wonderfully written book, though it has a slow part toward the middle.) There is some violence. Some of the nice mouseys (as one of my younger friends describes them as) die deaths described in sometimes too much detail. Brian Jacques (pronounced 'Jakes') is setting up the rest of the series in this one volume. My mom has a comment though:"All the Redwall books have the same plot; something threatens the [Redwall] Abbey, and the main character goes on a quest for something with some other characters. The rest of the characters stay at the abbey and try and defend it. The questors (sp?) come back at just the right time, and save the abbey until the next book." This comment, for the most part, is completely accurate. I love this series personally, but sometimes requires multiple reads to completely understand it. Once you do, you will read them even more.

Think "Lord of the Rings" with mice. Or "Wind in the Willows" with medieval weaponry. Either way, you've got a fine fantasy epic for kids that doesn't talk down to them. It's well-written and richly detailed. Some of the descriptions do go on a bit (the accounts of banquet menus seemed like overkill on occasion), but the sophisticated language really does set the tone nicely. You may have to explain what a parapet or a halberd is, but context helps kids follow along. I read this to my kids when they were 5 and 7. A smart kid over 10 could read it themselves. Note that it does have scenes of combat, as well as some death and sadness, though nothing too graphic.

this book is really good, and if u like it u should check out the others in the series!! an awesum original, hard-to-put-down book, it keeps u hooked to the very end!!! however i would make sure u know wut ur kid and or u are able to read...cuz for kids it could be kinda hard bcuz of all the different dialects, and in all of the books there is violence. however, i found that the heros always taught great morals and etc. and the story is so good that they may read it anyway, and its also good for them to learn to read with all that kind of thing, instead of just normal english. a great book! even better ones are outcast of redwall, rakkety tam, and the bellmaker.