Into the Wild

Warriors book 1
by Erin Hunter
PRMS hardcover 272 pages
genre: YA fantasy

Students have raved about these books for years. Some kids read them over and over and over . . . and so I finally had to read one so I could connect with the kids who love these. Sadly, I had to force myself to finish this. Warrior cats in four clans hunt, patrol their borders, and fight. Rusty is a housecat "kittypet" who leaves the humans ("twolegs") to explore the woods beyond the fence. He ends up joining Thunderclan and training to become a warrior. He is named Firepaw until the end of the book when he becomes Fireheart. The names, places, and events just didn't do it for me. I can gush enthusiasm for my students' sake but will NOT be reading any more of these. And I'm pretty sure Erin Hunter is a pseudonym for a host of writers who crank these stories out.