Ratha's Creature and Clan Ground are two of my favorite books from my childhood. I was delighted to learn the author had continued the series, but the rest of the books have been very disappointing. The first two in the series were interesting not because they were about prehistoric cats but because those cats were well-drawn, interesting characters. In fact, in those earlier books very little description was given about what the cats and their herd beasts looked like, leaving much to the imagination of the reader. The focus was on the story and the motives of the characters. In Ratha's Courage, the attention is almost solely on describing new prehistoric animals. It feels like the author is so intrigued by these animals that the story itself is getting lost. There are good ideas in the book, but they don't feel fully realized or fleshed out. Some of the plot points feel very out of place- steering beasts like a car? Humor about manure? The tone of this book feels like it was written from a much younger audience than Ratha's Creature and Clan Ground.
Reviewed by Steph for TeensReadToo.com
After a thirteen-year hiatus, Clare Bell returns with RATHA'S COURAGE, the fifth book in THE NAMED series.
The story is about a clan of prehistoric cats that are working toward making a civilization. Ratha, the clan leader, knows the gift of fire and decides to share it with another, different civilization of the "face-tails", which is a clan of mammoth and mastodon hunting cats.
But her courage to reach out to another group might bring the downfall of her own clan.
Bell writes an interesting story that takes the reader into another world where cats rule and try to become more civilized. The reader goes through the story with Ratha, facing every challenge along with her. This book is an excellent addition to THE NAMED series.
After a thirteen-year hiatus, Clare Bell returns with RATHA'S COURAGE, the fifth book in THE NAMED series.
The story is about a clan of prehistoric cats that are working toward making a civilization. Ratha, the clan leader, knows the gift of fire and decides to share it with another, different civilization of the "face-tails", which is a clan of mammoth and mastodon hunting cats.
But her courage to reach out to another group might bring the downfall of her own clan.
Bell writes an interesting story that takes the reader into another world where cats rule and try to become more civilized. The reader goes through the story with Ratha, facing every challenge along with her. This book is an excellent addition to THE NAMED series.
