Midnight (Warriors) facts for kids

Midnight is an exciting fantasy novel. It is the first book in the Warriors: The New Prophecy series by Erin Hunter. This book continues the story after The Darkest Hour and Firestar's Quest. It came out on May 10, 2005, and is followed by Moonrise. The story is about groups of wild cats called Clans. These four main Clans are ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan.

The Story of Midnight

More than a year has passed since the last book. Bramblepaw, who is Tigerstar's son, has now become a warrior named Brambleclaw. Firestar and Sandstorm have two young kits (kittens). Their names are Squirrelpaw and Leafpaw.

A Mysterious Warning

Squirrelpaw is learning to be a warrior. Her mentor is Dustpelt. Leafpaw is training to be a medicine cat. Her teacher is Cinderpelt. One day, while Leafpaw and Cinderpelt are looking for herbs, they get a scary message. StarClan, who are the cats' ancestors, sends a warning. They see a tiger running through fire in some burning plants.

Cinderpelt thinks this means fire and tiger will destroy the forest. She believes the warning is about Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw. Squirrelpaw is Firestar's daughter, and Brambleclaw is Tigerstar's son. They tell Firestar about the warning. He decides to keep Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw apart.

The Journey Begins

Later, Brambleclaw has a dream. StarClan tells him and three other cats to listen to "midnight." The other cats are Feathertail, Crowpaw, and Tawnypelt. Feathertail is Graystripe's daughter. Tawnypelt is Brambleclaw's sister.

These four cats begin a long journey. They travel towards where the sun sets. Squirrelpaw decides to go with them. Stormfur also joins to protect his sister, Feathertail. So, six cats travel into the unknown.

Meeting Midnight

On their trip, they meet an old loner cat named Purdy. He helps them find the "sun-drown place," which is the ocean. Finally, they reach the ocean. They find a cave there.

Inside the cave lives a very smart American badger named Midnight. She can talk to cats, foxes, and rabbits! Midnight tells them a terrible secret. Humans will destroy their forest home. The cats must leave the forest or they will die. She also says that a dying warrior will guide the Clans to their new home.

The Forest in Danger

The book ends with a short look back at the forest. Humans have started to destroy ThunderClan's territory. This shows that Midnight's warning was true.

When Was Midnight Released?

Midnight first came out in the US and Canada. It was a hardcover book released on May 10, 2005. It was then released in the UK on October 25, 2006. A paperback version came out on April 4, 2006. You could also get it on Amazon Kindle starting November 6, 2007.

Where Did the Ideas Come From?

The forest in the book is based on a real place. It is called New Forest and is in southern England. The special herbs the cats use for healing come from a book. This book is called Culpeper's Herbal by Nicholas Culpeper.