Warrior Cats

The site was clearly designed with fans of the Warriors series in mind; kids probably won't be too interested in the site content if they haven't read any of the books. Kids who have, though, may not be too wowed by Warrior Cats either, because the book, clan, and cat descriptions are so brief. The site offers some author information, quotes, illustrations, and a few videos created by users and the site. There's also a few plot and character polls, and quizzes are available, as well as a family tree that offers a look at how clan members interconnect. The site images aren't too dynamic, though; due to image sizes on the site, the names can be a little difficult to read, and only a few items seem to link to character pages.

The site has done an admirable job of factoring safety into its structure: Kids can't connect with strangers, users can't post written comments, and any videos that might allow kids to click through to YouTube, where they could come across adult content, aren't allowed. In addition, registered users can specify the last series or book they've finished to block content from titles that were published later and might reveal spoilers. Series merchandise isn't marketed much outside of an online store and through links on the book description pages to the publisher's site, which lists several online stores where the books are sold. Since there isn't a ton of engaging content on the site, and since one of its five site sections is a store, Warrior Cats ends up feeling more like a promotional tool for the book series than an online information hub for fans. Adding more book and character background information and interactive elements would help make it a more valuable resource for readers -- and potentially convince kids who aren't familiar with the series to check it out.