Raven Quest. Sharon Stewart. Markham, ON: Scholastic Canada, 2003. 342 pp., pbk., $7.99. ISBN 0-439-98988-4. Grades 5-9 / Ages 10-14. Review by Joan Marshall. **** /4

excerpt:

"You must pull back when I hit it," warned Tok. "No matter how much it hurts." Drawing his head back he struck the flat piece with his heavy beak. The jaws creaked open a tiny bit, and the not-fox pulled its foot back hard. But the jaws snapped together again, and the creature sank down with a moan of pain.

"It's no good," it said, its golden eyes dimming with despair. "It's all over with me."

"Don't give up!" urged Tok. "You're only caught by your toes now." The creature struggled up again and braced itself on its haunches. Rearing his head back, Tok struck a savage blow at the trap. The shock half-stunned him, and he felt a sliver shear off the side of his beak. But the cruel jaws opened just a little. The not-fox yanked its paw free and took a limping step backward as the jaws snapped shut again.

Suddenly a rough voice bellowed at them across the glade.

A Two-Legs! Tok flapped his wings, trying to gain height, but there was an enormous roar, and something hot blasted by him, knocking him out of the air. Firestick! he thought numbly, as he hit the snow. Then the jaws of the not-fox closed around him.

Writers of fantasy often muse about the joy of creating a new world, the absorption of placing characters who are struggling to find the fine line between good and evil in a compelling new setting. Raven Quest falls into this kind of excellent, page turning, gripping drama where readers, caught up in the mythology of raven and wolf worlds, find themselves rooting for the main character and heaving a sigh of relief when evil is banished and the hero is successful in his quest.

     Tok, a young raven, is banished from his community, falsely accused of killing nestlings. He knows his salvation lies in accomplishing something dramatic for his community, so he sets out to find the Grey Lords of long ago legend, who used to help the ravens hunt. Tok struggles through vicious storms, sickness, the unknown ways of men, and avalanches. However, he is helped by a lowly crow, a softhearted human and an elderly raven that remembers stories of the Grey Lords and their singing. Because he saves the life of a wolf caught in a trap, the wolves trust him and five follow him back to Mount Storm where Tok regains his standing in the raven world.

     In fantasy, setting and characters are all. And what vivid, compelling characters there are here! Tok, called Skydancer as he loves to wheel and dive in the sky to honour Skyah, grows from a terrified, ashamed youngster to a wise, compassionate, determined leader. Listening to others, caring for others, holding firm to his search, Tok is the ultimate hero. Another strong character is Alkara, the wise older wolf pack leader whose ability to see the future creates a vision in which her pack finds strength, despite the treachery of Malik, a wolf that disobeys and nearly brings death to them all. Stewart brings even minor characters to life with telling dialogue and action packed scenes. The real life of wolves and ravens is blended effortlessly with her fictional world in which animal groups boast a proud and ancient mythology complete with riddles, proverbs, lore, songs, myths and sayings. The detailed structure and language of each animal group emerges in the story and reflects human characteristics like greed, pride, loyalty, friendship, love and jealousy. Like humans, the animal groups rely on past wisdom and experience but remain open to new ideas if they can be argued successfully. Like humans, they are impressed with valour and loyalty. Like humans, they vote democratically and accept help when they need it. There is no telling here, only the best gradual unfolding of the most delicious story.

     The northern forest and mountain wilderness setting of this book is woven tightly with the wolf and raven characters. From its woody ravines to its snowy, slippery dangerous mountain passes, the story draws readers into this strong, Canadian north setting. Even the world of humans (Two-Legs), seen through the animals' eyes, is authentic as the people try to protect their animals from the wolves with rifles and snowmobiles.

     Although Tok is on a typical hero's search and although evil - everyday, prosaic evil- threatens to derail the search, the strong themes of the destruction of the environment, man versus the wolf, and the critical necessity of steadfast love and caring are also themes that dominate this excellent novel. All middle school readers (and the adults with them) will be caught up in this amazing fantasy that would make a terrific read aloud. Raven Quest needs to be read by us all.

Highly Recommended.

Joan Marshall is the teacher-librarian at Fort Richmond Collegiate, Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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