Erin Hunter’s Warriors Series: A Primer

If you have a young reader in your life, you have likely come across Erin Hunter’s Warriors books, a bestselling fantasy series with dozens of titles in its lineup. First published in 2003, these books have recently gotten an eye-catching makeover—with stunning new covers that will guarantee you’ll notice them if you haven’t already. If you’re new to the fascinating, complex, and often perilous world of the Warriors, here’s an introduction to this beloved series.
The Warriors are bold, fearless, and feline
The first book in the series, Into the Wild, tells the story of Rusty, a house cat who leaves his home (and the humans, or “Twolegs” who own him) to join the Clans of cats living in the New Forest. The four Clans—ShadowClan, RiverClan, ThunderClan, and WindClan—have been living in relative peace for years, but an evil plot from ShadowClan threatens the harmony of the forest.
As you may have gathered, the Warriors are not your average roomba-riding, box-loving, internet-dominating kitties. Sure, they engage in some classic feline behaviors—they meow and growl and hiss, groom each other, jump and leap, and of course they have nine lives—but they also have some decidedly epic qualities: They plot and scheme, they fall in love, they are loyal friends, brave fighters, heroic leaders, and sometimes murderous traitors. It’s not exactly Game of Thrones for the tween set, but it’s not too far off. Even readers who aren’t cat people, if they can look past the mentions of meows and other cat-specific traits, will find an engrossing story full of memorable characters. 
Or, those with severe allergies even to fictional felines can check out the Seekers and Survivors series, which are about bears and dogs, respectively.
The story behind author Erin Hunter
Erin Hunter is a actually a pen name used by six different writers: Victoria Holmes, Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, Gillian Philip, Inbali Iserles, and Tui Sutherland. Editor Holmes comes up with the storylines for both the full series and the individual books, and the writers take turns writing the manuscripts. Holmes has said that she draws inspiration for the plots from familiar (and non-feline) situations faced by most kids, noting that “Once I started working with the characters, I realized I could give them human issues such as starting at a new school…falling in love with the wrong person…and being bullied by someone who should look after you.”
The Warriors series will keep young readers occupied for a long time
There are over 60 books in the Warriors series! This includes the original six-book Warriors series, and four other spinoffs: Power of Three, The New Prophecy, Omen of the Stars, and Dawn of the Clans, as well as stand-alone guides, special editions, and manga. The sheer quantity of books can be a great asset for parents who want to keep their kids reading (and if your young reader gets hooked, you’ll have no problem coming up with gift ideas for years of future birthdays).
The newest Warriors novel, A Forest Divided, is the fifth book in the Dawn of the Clans prequel arc, and is in stores this week.
Are your kids fans of the Warriors books?