Pearls of Lutra (Redwall Series #9)

by Brian Jacques

Overview

New York Times bestselling author Brian Jacques gives us another tale of Redwall, filled with “The Knights of the Round Table with paws” (The Sunday Times) along with their friends and enemies.

Known as the Tears of All Oceans, six magnificent rose-colored pearls that inspire passion, greed, and deception are mysteriously missing. The only clue is a series of riddles, and Tansy, a young hedgehog maid at Redwall Abbey, is desperate to solve them—for the life of one she holds dear is in great danger.

But Ublaz Mad Eyes—the evil emperor of a tropical isle beyond the horizon—is determined to claim the pearls as his own. And a crew of fearsome monitor lizards and corsairs gathered around him grows restless…

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780441005086
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	02/01/1998
Series:	Redwall Series
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	626,654
Product dimensions:	6.74(w) x 4.16(h) x 0.96(d)
Lexile:	980L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Brian Jacques was both a master storyteller and a jack-of-all-trades. He lived the life of a sailor, actor, stand-up comedian, radio host, bobby, even a bus driver. He was the recipient of an honorary doctorate in literature from the University of Liverpool and a New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty-five books for younger readers, including the wildly popular Redwall series. Dr. Jacques was a lifelong resident of Liverpool, England.

Date of Birth:

June 15, 1939

Date of Death:

February 5, 2011

Place of Birth:

Liverpool, England

Place of Death:

Liverpool, England

Education:

St. John¿s School, Liverpool, England

Website:

http://www.redwall.org

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Devoted fans of Jacques . . . will snap this off the shelf without any prompting."(School Library Journal)

Editorial Reviews

Praise for the Redwall series
 
“Brian Jacques has the true fantasy writer’s ability to create a wholly new and believable world.” –School Library Journal
 
 “The medieval world of Redwall Abbey—where gallant mouse warriors triumph over evil invaders—has truly become the stuff of legend.” –Seattle Post-Intelligencer
 
 “A grand adventure story. Once the reader is hooked, there is no peace until the final page.” –Chicago Sun-Times
 
 “Jacques’s effortless, fast-paced narrative gets its readers quickly hooked. He clearly loves this other world he has created—there’s a genius sense of involvement and care (lots of lovingly descriptive passages), as well as an overflowing, driving imagination.” –Birmingham Post
 
“Redwall is both an incredible and ingratiating place, one to which readers will doubtless cheerfully return.” –New York Times Book Review
 
 “An excellent adventure with an enlightened conscience. Brilliantly complex. With vibrant and distinct animal characters, Jacques’s classically inspired plot-weaving achieves virtuosity.” –Publishers Weekly
 
 “Only a churl would reject this morality play in fur.” –Kirkus Reviews
 
“Filled with the kind of vibrant storytelling that fans of Jacques have come to expect. His dialogue is lively and delightful to read aloud…so rich in detail that the sights and sounds and smells of the adventure pull the reader in.” –Grand Rapids Press (MI)
 
 “A richly imagined world in which bloody battles vie for attention with copious feasting and tender romancing. Where males and females are hero's and warriors. Where the young triumph and the old endure. Where intelligence is as valued as strength and wit is frequently more important than size…[Jacques] continues to surprise and delight with intriguing plots and fresh faces.” –Cincinnati Enquirer
 
 “The Knights of the Round Table with paws.” –The Sunday Times (London)

From the Publisher

In this hybrid mystery/adventure, the latest Redwall saga, six beautiful pearls are hidden in Redwall Abbey. A marauding mob of corsairs seeking the jewels kidnaps the Abbot as a bargaining chip, thereby setting the plot off in two distinct directions. In one, the denizens of the Abbey, led by the young hedgehog Tansy, must solve a series of riddles to find the pearls; theirs is a fun- and food-laden search that harks back to a similar hunt in the series opener, Redwall. Chapters of this quest alternate with a more epic tale, as the warrior mouse Martin leads a small band on a great chase across the open sea to rescue the Abbot. After an intriguing meeting with "sealfolk," the rescuers snatch the Abbot off an island in a bloody-and implausible-battle with the corsairs. The triumphant return of Martin and his cohorts diminishes the importance of the hunt for the pearls, a disappointing loose end; in Redwall, Matthias puts the sword he has quested after to good use. The pearls do allow Tansy, one of a number of strong female characters in key roles, the chance to prove that she is fit to be the first Abbess-but only by throwing them away. The incomplete meshing of the two story lines, and the recycling of a plot from a previous installment, suggest that even though there is plenty of adventure left, this well-loved series may finally be running out of steam. Ages 6-up. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 4 UpDevoted fans of Jacques's "Redwall Tales" will snap this off the shelf without any prompting. And those readers who have not yet discovered the delights of Redwall Abbey will likely be converted by the time they have finished reading this rollicking adventure set within the abbey walls, around Mossflower Woods, and on the tropical Island of Samptera, populated by vermin corsairs; Trident-rats; and the evil Emperor Ublaz Mad Eyes, a pine martin. The Pearls of Lutra, a set of six pink pearls known as the Tears of All Oceans plundered from the Otters of Holt Lutra, have slipped through the malevolent Ublaz's paws. He sends a crew of rough Wave Brethern and creepy monitor lizards to recover them from Redwall Abbey, where they have ended up by chance. In the course of events, the beloved Abbot Durral is kidnapped, and Martin the Warrior and a group of charming, valiant, and ravenous beasts from Redwall and Mossflower sail off to save him. In the meantime, the determined hogmaid Tansy and her friends must use the riddlelike clues to recover the pearls from the six spots where they were hidden by the now-deceased Fermaid the Ancient. Although good triumphs over evil as always, readers will experience heartache and some scary moments, as well as encounter quite a bit of bloodshed along the way. A welcome addition to the Redwall canon and a good, solid recommendation for filling adventure- book assignments.Carrie Schadle, New York Public Library

School Library Journal

Jacques (The Great Redwall Feast, 1996, etc.) has outdone himself in this ninth Redwall epic, weaving strands of a thrilling tale into a complex, persuasive whole.

Opening when hedgehog maid Tansy and squirrel child Arven find a skeleton in Mossflower wood, the story features Ublaz Mad Eyes, the evil pine marten who rules the tropical island, Sampetra, populated by a vile lot of seascum. Ublaz burns to possess the Pearls of Lutra—six rose-colored pearls of unparalleled beauty—stolen by his command years before and lost when their greedy captors tried to keep them for themselves. There is Grath Longfletch, intent on revenge, and kindly old Abbot Durrell, who is captured by searats and carried off to Sampetra. Deciphering elaborate clues in cryptic verse, Tansy leads the treasure hunt for the pearls—hidden in Redwall Abbey—and breaks their spell forever. The fast-paced, meaty text jumps from Redwall to Sampetra to the high seas, each time leaving readers on the edge of their seats, until gradually the various branches of the story converge in a glorious climax. With several strong female characters, fewer battles, and more mystery—as well as the usual complement of humorous sidekicks and mouthwatering feasts—this is a victory for Redwall.

Kirkus Reviews