Moonrise (novel) facts for kids
First edition cover
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| Author | Erin Hunter |
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| Cover artist | Wayne McLoughlin |
| Country | Canada United States United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Warriors: The New Prophecy |
| Genre | Children's literature Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
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Publication date
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21 July 2005 (Canada) 2 August 2005 (United States and United Kingdom) |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback)/On-line (E-book) |
| Pages | 304 (first edition) |
| ISBN | 978-0-06-074452-6 |
| LC Class | PZ7.H916625Mo 2005 |
| Preceded by | Midnight |
| Followed by | Dawn |
Moonrise is an exciting fantasy novel for young readers. It's the second book in the popular Warriors: The New Prophecy series. This book tells the adventures of four groups of wild cats, known as Clans. The stories are written by Erin Hunter, which is a pen name used by several authors like Victoria Holmes, Cherith Baldry, Kate Cary, and Tui T. Sutherland. The cool cover art was created by Wayne McLoughlin.
Moonrise follows six brave cats: Brambleclaw, Squirrelpaw, Crowpaw, Feathertail, Stormfur, and Tawnypelt. They are on their way back home to the forest after a long journey to the ocean. On their trip, they travel through tall mountains. There, they meet a new group of cats called the Tribe of Rushing Water. These Tribe cats are in danger from a fierce mountain lion named Sharptooth. The Clan cats decide to help the Tribe get rid of this dangerous predator. The ideas for the places in the book came from real places like the New Forest and the Scottish Highlands.
Moonrise is available as a hardcover, paperback, and e-book. It has been translated into many languages, including French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, German, and Polish. The book received mostly good reviews. Critics liked the story and its exciting ending. It even reached number two on The New York Times Best Seller list for children's chapter books for two weeks!
Contents
Understanding the World of Moonrise
Where the Story Takes Place
The story of Moonrise happens in different places. These places are inspired by real locations in the United Kingdom. For example, the forest where the cats live is a lot like the New Forest. Parts of the adventure also happen by the ocean and in a made-up mountain range.
Meet the Main Characters
The main characters in Moonrise come from four different groups of cats called Clans. These are ThunderClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan, and WindClan. The main cats on the journey are Brambleclaw, Squirrelpaw, Tawnypelt, Crowpaw, Stormfur, and Feathertail.
All Clan cats believe in StarClan. This is a group of spirit cats, like their ancestors, who are represented by the stars. StarClan guides the living cats.
How the Clans Are Organized
Each Clan has a similar way of living and working together:
- Leader: The main cat in charge of the Clan.
- Deputy: The second-in-command, who helps the leader.
- Medicine Cat: This cat heals sick or injured Clanmates. They also talk to StarClan for guidance.
- Warriors: These are the main members of the Clan. They hunt for food, patrol the Clan's borders, and fight when needed.
- Apprentices: These are younger cats who are training to become warriors. Sometimes, they train to be medicine cats.
The Adventure of Moonrise
The Journey Begins
In the previous book, Midnight, StarClan sent four cats on a special quest. These cats were Brambleclaw, Crowpaw, Feathertail, and Tawnypelt. Squirrelpaw and Stormfur also joined them. Their journey led them to the ocean, where they met a very smart badger named Midnight. Midnight told the cats that their forest home was in danger. Humans were going to cut down the trees and build a new "Thunderpath" (which is what the cats call a road). The Clans would have to leave and find a new home.
Meeting the Mountain Tribe
On their way back home, the cats decide to travel through a mountain range. They had avoided these mountains on their first trip. In the mountains, they discover a group of cats called the Tribe of Rushing Water. The Tribe cats have their own ancestors, called the Tribe of Endless Hunting. The Tribe welcomes the traveling Clan cats, giving them food and shelter.
The Clan cats soon learn that the Tribe has a prophecy. It says that a silver cat will save them from Sharptooth. Sharptooth is a fierce mountain lion that has been killing many Tribe members. The Tribe believes that Stormfur is the silver cat from the prophecy because of his silver fur. So, they expect him to protect them from Sharptooth. Stormfur eventually agrees to help the Tribe.
Facing Sharptooth
The Clan cats work together to lead Sharptooth into a trap inside a cave. Their plan is to use a rabbit to bait him and then poison him. However, the plan goes wrong. Sharptooth swats the rabbit away and attacks Crowpaw instead. Brambleclaw knows they cannot lose Crowpaw, as he is important for their journey.
Feathertail sees the danger. She tells Stormfur that this task is hers, not his. Without thinking, she leaps onto the cave roof and hits a stalactite (a pointy rock hanging from the ceiling). The stalactite falls, killing both Feathertail and Sharptooth. Crowpaw and Stormfur are very sad about losing their friend. The Tribe then realizes that Feathertail was the true silver cat in their prophecy, not Stormfur.
The Journey Continues
The five remaining cats continue their long journey home. The book ends with Squirrelpaw spotting Highstones, a landmark near WindClan territory. This means they are almost back to their forest home.
Meanwhile, back in the forest, the Clans are already feeling the effects of the humans. Their prey is getting lost or poisoned, parts of the forest are being destroyed, and some cats are even being taken away.
Moonrise is followed by Dawn. This next book tells what happens after the questing cats return to the forest and their big journey to find a new home.
