Homebody hedgehog Trundle Boldoak enjoys his quiet life as the lamplighter of Port Shiverstones in the Sundered Lands, island realms afloat in the sky. Then feisty, magical hedgehog Esmeralda Lightfoot tells him it has been prophesied that he is to help find the Six Crowns of the Badgers of Power. After notorious pirate-hog Captain Grizzletusk and his crew invade Port Shiverstones,Trundle becomes unwillingly embroiled in unexpected dangers, and he begins to wonder if the prophecy is, indeed, true. From soaring through space in windships to escaping coal mines and a slave-market town, he and Esmeralda must use their wits and courage to save themselves and others, but with sundry vicious characters in hot pursuit, the quest has just begun. Filled with diverse animal villains and allies and plenty of clashing action, this series-launcher evokes elements of both Redwall and Lord of the Rings. In fact, creature-comfort-loving Trundle is appealingly similar to Bilbo Baggins. Finely rendered illustrations extend this entertaining animal-fantasy adventure that will likely leave readers anticipating the next installment in the Six Crowns series.

Ambushed by Princess Esmeralda, Trundle the Lamplighter finds himself drawn into a whirlwind of adventure. Esmeralda is convinced that Trundle must help fulfill an ancient prophecy, so off the two hedgehogs go, fighting pirates, rescuing slaves, and stowing away on ships that sail through space. The action is jam-packed, but the the story's logic doesn't always keep up.

In a bizarre but good-natured genre mashup, two hedgehogs run around outer space fighting pirates and seeking talismans. Trundle is a lamplighter (and homebody) on a seemingly pre-industrial asteroid known for cabbage farms. Feisty stranger Esmeralda accosts the baffled Trundle and insists they go on a quest. Before he can refuse, pirates attack and the two hedgehogs flee. Running from the pirates, who are grizzled "pigs and rats and weasels and foxes," Trundle and Esmeralda fall off the planet's edge onto a windship—interplanetary transportation in this archipelago of asteroids requires wind vessels—and end up on a planet where enslaved animals labor in mines. They get into and out of various scrapes with derring-do and vigor; Trundle finds his enthusiasm along the way. They seek six legendary crowns that belonged to wise badgers in the past. The ramshackle science is vintage steampunk (outer space has air to breathe and breeze to power windships built like watercrafts; planetary gravity comes and goes). Jones has a nice knack for stringing words together at a bustling pace: "A sharp spitting spluttering crackling sound came to his ears." Facile stereotypes about "Roamany" (Esmeralda's exotic, wild, not-quite-moral culture) are a shame, but they are also in keeping with the steampunk feel. Readers who revel in collections and patterns will enjoy finding the crystal crown here and will look forward to the next five books that promise the next five crowns. (Fantasy. 7-10)

Gr 3-5 Hedgehog Trundle Boldoak's quiet, routine life as town lamplighter on the cabbage-growing island of Shiverstones is drastically disrupted when Esmeralda Lightfoot, princess of the mysterious Roamany clan, bursts through the door. Esmeralda is convinced that Trundle is the only one who can follow the prophecy of the Badger Blocks to find the legendary Six Crowns of the Badgers of Power, which long ago were scattered throughout the Sundered Lands. With bloodthirsty animal pirates nipping at her heels, led by evil hog Captain Grizzletusk, Trundle begrudgingly joins Esmeralda on a windship for an epic journey to locate each crown. Jones has woven a tale with protagonists that readers will root for. Chalk's detailed illustrations look almost lifelike and add character to each animal, the airships, and the pirates. With a sprinkling of magic from Esmeralda, this story is a good stepping-stone to Brian Jacques's "Redwall" books (Philomel). Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA