Redwall

I ended up on the Barnes and Noble website today.  I no longer remember what I was searching for because I was distracted by (happens frequently) a Brian Jacques novel, his 21st in the Redwall series.  Then I realized it was under "We Remember Brian Jacques."  I Googled, and sure enough he passed just a few days ago on February 5th.  Not many people will know who he his, but I do.

My sixth grade class had to read Redwall, his first book of the series.  I remember being skeptical.  I remember procrastinating.  I didn't want to read about mice and rats and castles and abbeys.  In sixth grade, I liked stories about people... like a boy and his dog trying to catch monkeys in the Ozark mountains, or a boy stranded in the wilderness after an airplane crash, or a group of friends who formed their own babysitters club, or a boy who took on race relations in a town simply by running.   I liked stories about people.  Still do, maybe that's why I like studying History.

       

Redwall was unexpected gem.  Redwall blew me away.  I remember getting sucked into the book and staying up late reading by my bedside lamp.  And I always remembered the title and I always remembered the name of the author.  It was a great book; it was the one that proved to me that I should never judge a book by its cover.

With 21 books in the series, it's safe to say I wasn't the only one touched by Brain Jacques' cast of brave mice and villainous rats.  Thanks for opening my imagination, Mr. Jacques.  May you rest in peace.