Taggerung (2001)

Since I haven't read any of the redwall books since last summer, I mistakenly read this again. So, the fact that it held up to a very good second reading that kept me flying along meant it was typical of the Redwall series - good story, excellent cast of characters (main and supporting), all in all 'a good yarn.' ( )

[Taggerung] is another great addition to the Redwall chronicles. [[Brian Jacques]] does a good job creating a new wrinkle--a kidnapped otter babe becomes the destined head of vermin: the Taggerung. How he grows up, what happens then and afterward makes the interesting substance of the book. Add in a colorful hare, adventerous mouse, delicious food and a book long mystery about who the next abbess will be, and you have one of Mr. Jacques' better works. ( )

Brian Jacques fourteenth book in his Redwall series has a special place in my heart after finishing it. A mothers love for her son through thick and thin, adventure for a mole and an otter, and a brave harvest mouse are all in this book! Chock full of twists and turns around every corner, you'd better hold on, because if you choose this book you're in for an enjoyable ride!

An amazing book.

A young otter is stolen by an evil vermin tribe because he is the taggerung. The Taggerung is siad to be an amazing warrior. He is raised as a vermin but questions his true family, he runs away from the camp on a journey to find his real family. ( )

Kara Baker
Book Review
EDCI 4120/5120
Summer, 2008

Jacques, B. (2001). Taggerung. New York: Penguin.

GRADE LEVELS: 6-12

CATEGORY: Fantasy; Adventure.

READ-ALOUDS: PP 3-10 Babe at the Ford; PP 162-168 Tagg’s fight with Madd.

SUMMARY: A young otter is kidnapped by the Juska and raised to be their Taggerung; the top warrior. Tagg rebels against the Juska and makes his escape. While he is chased around the countryside by Juska hitmen, he dreams of his life before the Juska. His adventures lead him to find many friends, especially the mouse, Nimbalo the Slayer, who accompanies him on his quest to find his home and family and finally escape the Juska forever. Parallel to this story is the story of Tagg’s family at the Redwall Abbey; they are without a warrior for the first time in many seasons and they are in the process of searching for a new Abbot or Abbess as their “abbey manager” Cregga the badger is facing her last season. Their peace and tranquility is threatened by the Juska vermin as they search out the Taggerung.

THEMES:
One of the major themes in Taggerung is the meaning of family. Tagg’s Juska leader, Swaney Rath calls him “son” but Tagg never calls him “father.” Tagg knows that his real family is out there somewhere. Nimbalo hates the word “family” because he comes from an abusive home with no mother and a belt-wielding father who thought he was a lazy good-for-nothing. Nimbalo escapes to make his own way in the world; never wanting to belong to anything called a “family” again. He learns that family isn’t necessarily blood-relatives, but that it can be simply creatures that care about each other and look out for each other. In the Redwall Abbey all creatures are family, regardless of their species; Nimbalo learns to trust this family as he becomes one of them. The squirrel Fwirl also learns the meaning of family and full acceptance when she joins the Redwall crew.
Another theme is standing up for what you believe in. On several occasions Tagg has to do what he knows is right even though it will anger the Juska. In the parallel story, the young ottermaid Mhera has to make decisions that will come out well for the entire abbey; she often faces difficulty because of her age and inexperience. Also, the badgermum Cregga has to do what she believes is right even though it causes a stir among the other elders.
A third theme is dealing with death. This novel has several characters that pass away during the course of the adventure. The remaining critters deal with death in individual manners; generally leaving the reader with the impression that death is a part of life and that the living must soldier on and do their best to honor the memory of their loved ones.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What is your definition of the word “family?”
2. Have you ever had to stand up for something you believe in when it went against the popular opinion? Were you able to do it?
3. Have you ever wanted to go on a grand adventure? Where would you go? What would you like to accomplish?
4. Do you think what the Juska did was reasonable? Can you justify their actions? Why or why not?

READER RESPONSE:
I really enjoy this series of books. I liked Taggerung for its definition of family and its encouragement of acceptance of all creatures. I like that prejudice is shown to be a mistake and that the creatures learn from their mistakes. All creatures are equal at Redwall; regardless of species, age or sex. In fact, in all his books, Jacques has an equal share of heroes and heroines, villains and villainesses. Jacques has excellent characterization and uses dialect to a great effect. His characters each have their own dialect based on their species; it reminds the reader of who’s who and helps the reader keep track of which species they are. (I’m especially fond of the hare dialect because it makes me laugh.) This book would make an excellent choice for a read-aloud book because it keeps the reader’s attention and would keep listeners interested throughout the entire book. ( )