If you’re a fan of the Warriors series, or know a fan, you’re an obvious candidate for the manga books in the same series.  But, like me, you may have assumed that these slim little books are just a graphic novel trimmed down version of the regular books.

Not so!

Today’s spotlight is on manga books one and two of Tiger Star and Sasha’s story.  Much like the very first Warriors book, the first of these manga begins with Sasha still a kittypet.  However, unlike Firestar, she lived with an elderly couple, and when the wife dies and the husband is taken to live with family, she’s left in the care of a neighbor…whom she never connects with, so she feels abandoned.  She turns to the woods for comfort and food, becoming a rogue.

The story continues as her relationship with Tigerstar develops, she learns to take care of herself, and she faces the difficult choice of joining Shadowclan or staying on her own.  When book one ends, book two picks up.  And, she makes that tough choice.

The title of Book Two–Escape from the Forest–kind of gives away her choice, so I think it’s okay to share her decision.  Leaving the forest is hard for Sasha, but she finds a place of her own as a ship’s cat for a time.  She has adventures and is able to help the captain in unexpected ways, growing as a character in the process.  Book two ends with another cliff-hanger, and their are implied big changes coming for Sasha as she heads back towards the forest and the clan cats once again.

Written with a slightly different tone, these books feel both more intimate and a little older than the regular Warriors books.  I could see them appealing to teens, as well as tweens and of course adults.  They are by no means ‘short and fluffy’ stories, despite the perception people sometimes have down those lines.  The writing is clean, with good voice quality.  The character grows and changes over the course of each book, and is highly sympathetic.  In short, they provide a great read in a small package, and an interesting format!

But let’s get the opinion of our ‘resident expert’, Apricot-kitty:

“These books are alright, and I like Sasha.  She’s a savvy cat with a good heart and a winning way.  However, I’ll never understand why those clan cats persist in thinking that kittypets can’t hunt.  What do they think we do all day, if not hone our hunting skills?  We could probably hunt the fur of them, without even unsheathing our claws!”

Yeah, I didn’t think she’d take to the disdain held for kittypets!  And, she may have a point.  After all, throughout history the greatest human warriors were those who could train full-time without concerning themselves with where their next meal would come from.  Not the farmers, who trained to fight on their spare time if they trained at all…but, not sure how well that analogy works!  At any rate, add these little manga books to your reading list, or pass them on to interested readers and I’m sure they’ll enjoy!

For more Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays, check out Shannon Messenger’s blog, and happy reading!

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