Unusual Heroes Blog Book Tour - The Warrior Sheep go west

Today I am participating in the Unusual Heroes blog book tour. The tour (set up by the publisher Sourcebooks) is promoting two new books, and in both of them the heroes of the stories are...well...rather unusual. Today I have a review of The Warrior Sheep go West. The review is followed by a letter from one of the main characters. Her name is Jaycey, and she is a sheep.


 The Warrior Sheep go West

Christine and Christopher Russell

Fiction

For ages 9 to 11

Sourcebooks, 2011, 978-1-4022-5925-8

   It has been raining for several days, and Ida White’s five rare breed sheep are taking shelter in the barn with the chickens and Ida’s laptop. Ida likes to provide her chickens with music, and while the sheep are listening to a download on the laptop a pop-up appears on the screen showing a big red tongue. A voice says, “you Rams and Ewes and Lambs. This message is for you. We’re gonna slaughter you. We’re on our way. Red Tongue! Remember the name!”

   Sal remembers that the Songs of the Fleece, the sheep verses that had been handed down from ewe to lamb for centuries, refers to this threat. It is up to her and her friends to stop the dreaded Red Tongue from killing helpless sheep and they must go west to a place where “the sun scorches and the hottest winds blow.” Since there are no hot winds in Wales, the sheep are going to have to go much further west, to America.

   What the sheep don’t know is that Holly, a crackpot American scientist’s wife, has decided that the five sheep, who are famous, are perfect specimens to be used in her husband’s big project. Being a very rich person, Holly quickly arranges to have the sheep flown to America, along with Ida White and her grandson Tod.    

   Before they quite have the time to think things through, Ida and Todd are on American soil and their sheep are destined to be used for nefarious purposes by Holly’s mad spouse. Holly knows the sheep are smart, but she does not know that these five animals have an uncanny ability for getting in, and then out, of unfortunate situations. Holly may have plans for the sheep, but they are bent on stopping Red Tongue before it is too late, and nothing is going to stop them.

   Readers who enjoyed the first Warrior Sheep title are sure to enjoy this new adventure. Once again the sheep set out to save sheepkind at great risk to their wooly selves. Chases across a desert, a mad scientist, a Wild West ghost town, and five loveable main characters makes this a winning title for young readers.

A letter from Jaycey, a sheep who has a keen fashion sense.

Dear Marya,

Ohmygrass….Did I actually say that? I’m a sheep. Well, actually I’m a Jacob sheep and as everyone knows, Jacobs are the prettiest sheep in the Universe. I have the cutest little horns and a super soft black and white fleece. Sal, the ewe I share a field with, says I shouldn’t be so vain. Not after the trouble I got us into in Las Vegas! And I suppose she’s right. I very nearly got chopped up by a crazy stage magician. Really! It was sooo scary! Ohmygrass…I’ve gone all wobbly on my dainty hooves just thinking about it. If it hadn’t been for my friends Wills and Sal and Links and Oxo I wouldn’t be here now enjoying a rainy day in England. Actually, I’m not totally enjoying it because the rain makes my fleece frizzy.

   Wills and Sal and Links and Oxo are Rare Breed sheep like myself – though obviously not so pretty. TBH Sal’s got a rather fat bottom and Oxo eats all the time and Links, who fancies himself as a rap musician, can hardly see through his curly fleece and Wills is a really skinny lamb. But you know all that.

   What you probably don’t know is why we went to America in the first place. Well, it was because Sal told us about Red Tongue, an evil monster who wanted to kill all the sheep in the world. Starting in the West! That’s where you live, I guess, but you don’t have to worry. We tracked him down and finally got rid of him. He was baaarking mad and got the end he deserved. Huh! He learned not to mess with us Rare Breed sheep!

Ohmygrass...Ida, the farmer who owns us has just tipped a great heap of cauliflowers into our field. I’d better go and snaffle one before Oxo eats the lot!

It’s been sooooo nice talking to you.

Love and kisses from Jaycey


Join me on September 5th for another Unusual Heroes Blog Tour Post, which will be about a book called Sally's Bones. To say that this book is unusual is an understatement.