The Green Ember by S.D. Smith

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Description:

Heather and Picket are extraordinary rabbits with ordinary lives until calamitous events overtake them, spilling them into a cauldron of misadventures. They discover that their own story is bound up in the tumult threatening to overwhelm the wider world. Kings fall, and kingdoms totter. Tyrants ascend, and terrors threaten. Betrayal beckons, and loyalty is a broken road with peril around every bend. Where will Heather and Picket land? How will they make their stand?

Age Recommendation: 10-14, 4th-8th Grade

General Content:

Language: 0/10- Little to no derogatory language/ references.

Alcohol & Drugs: 1/10- The siblings' dad smokes a pipe while telling them a story.

Violence & Gore: 4/10- Some violence and bullying. A classic good vs. evil where kings die, there are mentions of war, and some soldiers are lost. However, I didn't find it very gory or particularly graphic.

Sexual Content: 0/10- No sexual content.

Parent Guide:

Tropes: Heroic journey, good vs. evil, sacrifice, and bravery.

Prologue

-Fleck, one of the rabbits, has “scarlet-stained” fur.

Ch. 1

-The bunnies, Picket and Heather, the two main characters, are playing a game in the field when they lose their ball in a tree. Picket climbs up to get it when the tree is struck by lightning. He lies, unmoving, on the ground.

Ch. 2

-Picket and Heather sit down with their father, and he smokes a pipe as he tells them a story.

Ch. 5

-As Heather and Picket hear screams, thinking it could be hawks attacking others in town, they begin to run home to warn their family. When they arrive, they see their home on fire, and wolves are marching nearby.

Ch. 6

-Wolves are surrounding Heather and Picket's home. The wolves hear the siblings and dash toward them. Heather gets their attention so that her brother can escape.

Ch. 7

-Picket makes it safely to a cave, he sits and cries, worrying if his family is still alive.

Ch. 8

-Desperate to get Heather, the wolves continue chasing her; they’ve brought in spears, bows, and arrows in the attempt.

-Heather gets stuck in the entrance of the cave, tired and wounded, she thinks this will be the end. Suddenly, who she thinks is her father (but we find out is her uncle), comes from behind and kicks her into the cave.

Ch. 11

-Heather, Picket, and one of the bunnies that saved them from the wolves, Smalls, are trapped in a cavern. They hear their uncle on the other side of the blocked entrance and try to find their way out, with seconds to spare before they are ambushed.

Ch. 12

-“‘Yes,’ Uncle Wilfred said through gritted teeth. ‘That’s his bloody name. Redeye Garlackson,’”.

Ch. 13

-Heather and Picket's uncle tells them that their family is best considered lost, that they’ve probably been taken away. Picket leans over the boat, sick at the revelation that he may not see his family again.

-The home that the 4 rabbits were attempting to go to for safety was also on fire and surrounded by wolves.

Ch. 16

-Uncle Wilfred found out that his friend (whose house was burning in ch. 13) didn’t survive the wolf attack.

Ch. 23

-“This is a place where rabbits make and are made. You are what you do. Choose wisely, young Picket. Choose wisely, brave Heather.”

Ch. 24

-Picket gets mad at a locked door. He proceeds to force it open with his crutch. The door opens, his crutch shatters, and he’s met with guards pointing spears and swords at him.

Ch. 26

-Picket mentions he wants revenge on those who harmed his family. He asks one of the other (incredibly grumpy) rabbits, Helmer, to train him in order to fight for his family back.

Ch. 28

-Helmer teaches Picket that anything is a weapon and proceeds to throw rocks, dirt, and use his jacket to hit him. He does this to remind Picket that he may not always have a sword in battle.

Ch. 31

-Heather and Picket learn the truth about their family. Their uncle, the oldest of the three brothers, betrayed the king. Lord Rake and Uncle Wilfred recount the tale of the betrayal.

Ch. 33

-Helmer brings Picket in after training to tell him that he thinks they will lose to the enemy. He lectures Picket, telling him that’s how life is and that not everyone has happy endings.

Ch. 34

-One of the Lords of another citadels harasses Picket and Heather for being a “Longtreader” (their last name).

Ch. 38

-Wolves break into the haven where many rabbits have made a home, hiding out from the enemy.

-Heather realizes that Smalls is actually the son of the last king. She runs to his room, but he is gone. Kyle is there instead, looking for the green ember (a jewel proving Smalls is the heir of the king). It is also gone. Kyle admits that he betrayed Smalls, saying that when Smalls gets to the crossing, he will be ambushed by the enemy. Heather and Picket split up, with Heather finding her uncle and Picket going to attempt to save Smalls.

Ch. 39

-One of the other captains mentions that they had already lost many soldiers while he “looked at his arm and the fallen forms of motionless rabbits nearby”.

Ch. 40

-On her way to find her uncle, Heather sees a wounded soldier. His side was slashed, and his shoulder was torn from a bite; he had blood on his tunic from his wounds.

Ch. 41

-Picket gets to the clearing just in time to see Smalls with his arms bound, lying in front of Redeye Garlackson, the wolf who chased him and his sister at the beginning of the novel.

Ch. 42

-Picket frees Smalls and kills Redeye with his sword. As they turn to escape, a row of angry wolves charges them. Picket and Smalls fight shoulder to shoulder, knowing this could be their end. They fight for only a minute when their companions and other soldiers come running out of the woods to help them. Good beats evil, and their enemies flee.