The launch of Erin Hunter's new Survivors series (after Warriors and Seekers) stars an unforgettable cast of canines in a world nearly devoid of humans (or "longpaws," as the dogs refer to them).
Lucky, a golden-furred sheltie-retriever mix, awakens from a dream of a story that his Mother-Dog once told him, about the "Big Growl" the Earth-Dog causes in an attempt to capture Lightning's life force. Moments later, the Big Growl hits the "Trap House," and Lucky and fellow captive Sweet are the sole survivors. Sweet longs to be back in a pack, and Lucky wants to go it alone, so they part ways. In a mall, Lucky has a chance meeting with his litter sister, Bella, who begs Lucky to join her and a makeshift pack of Leashed Dogs, dogs that belonged to longpaws.
Erin Hunter sets up a tantalizing tension between Lucky's wild instincts and his loyalty to his litter sister and her band of domesticated friends. Through his eyes, we see the devastation of the earthquake: houses abandoned, streets shattered, toxic waste leaking into the water. Will Lucky ever feel confident enough in the Leashed Dogs' abilities to leave them? Or will his sense of responsibility to them outweigh his desire for autonomy?
Hunter lays the groundwork for a world in which these thoroughly likable characters must let go of their bonds to their longpaws and move toward a Pack strategy of cooperation, and share physical strengths, experiences and resources in order to exist. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness