Warriors

Gr 4 Up—This installment in the trilogy finds best friends Ravenpaw and Barley seeking help from the Thunderclan after being driven off their farm by rogue cats. Before getting involved, the clan has to deal with a group of raiders (one of them a familiar face from Barley's past) encroaching on their borders and stealing food. Jolley does a fine job of capturing the essence of Erin Hunter's "Warriors" series (HarperCollins) and integrating the numerous clans with their differing codes and loyalties into a tightly paced plot. Readers unfamiliar with the earlier books can easily become immersed in the story, save for the slight confusion of Barley being the main focal point of the cover when Ravenclaw is the narrator. Otherwise, sharply drawn feral and ferocious expressions heighten tension whenever there is a standoff and add a proper dose of frenzy to the action scenes. The black-and-white drawings may have some children lamenting the chance to see the colors of the gloriously described cat fur, but ultimately it won't matter with "Warriors" fans clamoring for anything related to the series.—Joanna K. Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library