Redwall by Brian Jacques

The mice of Redwall Abby are a peaceful group, dedicated to helping the poor and downtrodden.  Then one day an evil pack of rats show up.  Their leader, Cluny the Scourge, had his heart set on taking the Abby, killing or enslaving its inhabitants, and then making it his headquarters.  A great peril makes way for great heros, and the hero in this story is Matthias.  Although a lowly apprentice monk, Matthias has always dreamed of becoming a great warrior mouse, like the legendary Martin.  But to do this, he must first find Martin's sword.  As he quests for the sword, the other good animals of Redwall Abby use their wits to best Cluny's band, but they cannot hold them off forever.  Will Matthias find the sword, save his friends, and fulfill his destiny? 

I have, or course, read Redwall before, but I guess it was before I started this blog.  I read it again because it is our June Parent/Child bookclub book.  I had forgotten how melodramic and cliche it is. It has every high fantasy trope you could think of: the brave Mattias, the sweet but brave Cornflower, the wize Methusuelah, and the good hearted head Abbot. The bad guys are sooo bad, and the good guys are sooo good.  You know what?  There is no problem with that.  It is a legetimate genre, and I know my sons, especially my oldest, loved it when they were boys. My oldest especially enjoyed the different dialects the animals spoke.  I think it was fun for him to challenge his mind to discipher ithem. It will be interesting to see what my parent/child group thinks of it. (1986, 351p)