ALA Booklist (Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 1997)

Here we go again. It's the tenth episode in Jacques' wildly popular Redwall saga. The villainous Rapscallions, licking their wounds after being defeated by the forces of Lady Cregga Rose Eyes, the beserker badger lady of the mighty fortress Salamandastron, are now under the leadership of a new Firstblade, the Greatrat Damug Warfang. It's the usual mix of rats, stoats, ferrets, and weasels that make up the army of vermin warriors, which now turns a hungry eye on the Abbey of Redwall and its peaceful denizens. Lady Cregga Rose Eyes, determined to rid the land of the Rapscallions, sends out members of the Long Patrol, the fighting unit of perilous hares, to scout them out while she follows, leading a troop of younger hares, including Tammo, who has long dreamed of being a member of the Long Patrol. Action abounds on three fronts as we follow the incursions of the vermin, young Tammo's experiences with the Long Patrol, and the badger lady and her troop, all of which come together in the final savage confrontation. Once again, Jacques masterfully makes his familiar plot fresh, leavening it with both humor and poignancy. A welcome episode for the series' legion of fans. (Reviewed December 15, 1997)

Horn Book (Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 1998)

The tenth book in the series continues the saga of the woodland creatures' battle to protect the abbey from the threat of warring vermin. Jacques spins out the plot through dialogue and the characters' interactions rather than heavy narration and description. As in the other books, the combination of an absorbing plot, robust characterization, and detailed description makes the novel a page-turner.

Kirkus Reviews

A hastily assembled band of shrews, hedgehogs, and squirrels, led by a detachment of hares from the Long Patrol, marches out to defend Redwall Abbey from a horde of vicious rats in Jacques's latest installment (The Pearls of Lutra, p. 59, etc.). Under a new Firstblade, Damug Warfang, the thousand Rapscallions left after a failed assault on Long Patrol headquarters at Salamandastron set their sights on Redwall Abbey when they learn its southern wall is in desperate need of repair. Fortunately for the abbey's peaceful residents and many younglings, a platoon of the Long Patrol, including frisky new recruit Tamello De Fformelo Tussock, arrives to coordinate defense, and so does a relief column from Salamandastron. Jacques uses the winning formula developed in his earlier books, pitting treacherous, stupid, bloodthirsty woodland predators against heroic, commonsensical—and mostly vegetarian—good guys; opening with skirmishes, ballads, and feasts described in loving detail; breaking off, though never for long, for more meals and songs; building up to a climactic, seesaw battle; then finishing with a wedding, more feasting and verse, and a long-delayed homecoming. Fans will find characters and connections from previous books, the familiar thick dialect, delicious language, dashing action, and the comforting happy ending they've learned to expect. (Fiction. 11-13)"

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Jacques sticks to the tried-and-true in the latest installment of the Redwall series. In the declining years of the characters previously featured in Pearls of Lutra, a menacing band of raiders again threatens Redwall Abbey. And once again the good animals of Redwall and Mossflower must join together to fight the invader. A new protagonist, the young hare Tammo, joins the Long Patrol, an outfit charged with the protection of all the animals in Mossflower Wood and fabled for its soldiering; he does well in battle but wants no more of it: """"No, I'm not all right, sah. I've seen death!"""" Love, sparked by an attractive female hare, is more important to him. Meanwhile, at the Abbey, excavations lead to a treasure hunt, like the one found in Lutra though not as integral to the plot. These familiar story lines are seasoned with a few other new characters and groups of animals, notably a wandering female squirrel (who, unfortunately, survives only halfway through). The Painted Ones and the Waterhogs, based on what appear to be popular perceptions of African tribesmen and Native American warriors, also make guest appearances. And of course, there is the familiar roster of animal types--royal badgers, officer-class hares, greedy but cowardly rats and the country bumpkin moles, who can always be relied upon for a funny """"gem of mole logic."""" The formula, in other words, still works, and the narrative, as usual, is tightly plotted and--except for the difficult-to-decipher dialects and lengthy descriptions of food--briskly paced. A feast for the faithful. Ages 12-up. (Feb.)

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4 As the adult Trisha awaits the arrival of relatives for the first family reunion at her home, she looks back on one such event at Gramma's house when she was a child. Anticipation of the arrival of aunts, uncles, and lots of cousins is almost too much for the young girl to bear. Everything is going to be just like in previous years, Trish reassures herself with every question to Gramma: "Will there be Jell-O like there always isbaseball and croquetbag racesAnd will you tell stories?" The answer is "yes" to every question, except the telling of the stories. Gramma's reply to that is: "Might. And we might catch lightning in a jar." This was something new. With her usual narrative flair Polacco weaves a story of family remembrances and traditions. Double-page spreads show children, large as life, running barefoot throughout the long day and chasing fireflies into the night. The watercolor-and-pencil artwork captures the beauty of a midnight-blue sky illuminated by moonlight and the poignancy of treasured moments. The story comes full circle back to Trisha's present-day reunion, showing "a new crop of children" and a new generation of storytellers. Wanda Meyers-Hines, Ridgecrest Elementary School, Huntsville, AL