Escape from the Forest

by Erin Hunter and Dan Jolley

This story starts abruptly, continuing right where the last one left off. Brokenhearted by the revelation of Tigerstar's true character, Sasha rejects his invitation to join the Clan and wanders off to try and find herself yet another new home. She keeps dreaming of finding her previous owners but a brief search in the city proves futile. Frightened and confused by all the new surroundings, Sasha keeps wandering until she ends up on a boat where she gets trapped. Then the boat owner discovers that her company is good for his business, so he coaxes her to stay. Sasha comes to feel comfortable in her new place with the Captain, but still feels uneasy about her future. I have to say, it came as a complete surprise to me at the end that she was pregnant. I got no hint of that from the first book of this little trio where she was keeping company with Tigerstar. I even turned back through those pages to see if there was a clue that I missed, but no. It really wasn't even alluded to. So her conflict about staying on the boat or leaving to return to the forest made more sense. She wants to raise her kittens in a place of freedom, not coddled by humans.

Rating: 2/5 ........ 112 pages, 2008