Bravelands “Broken Pride” cover shown along with the lion pride symbol. (Photo courtesy of “Shelf Stuff”)
The book Broken Pride by Erin Hunter is the first in the Bravelands series. Its setting is in a savannah in Africa and follows the adventures of three different animals: a lion, a baboon, and an elephant. The book starts with a young lion cub, Fearless Gallantpride, who is with his parents and sister in their pride. Then, another lion named Titan comes to challenge Gallant’s (Fearless’ father) leadership of the pride and tries to kill Fearless’ family.
Fearless manages to escape and then an eagle picks him up and puts him in a nest. A baboon named Stinger rescues him from the tree, and is then brought to the Brightforest Troop where Stinger tells the other baboons that Fearless was a “cub of the stars” and that the Great spirit sent Fearless to the baboons’ camp. The baboons are welcoming except for a few of them. He learns to adjust to life in the new troop despite being a different animal.
Meanwhile, one of the elephants, who also lives nearby, sees blood in a water hole. She perceives it as a sign from the “Great Spirit” that something bad is about to happen. Beside it are bones that show a sinister baboon riding on a lion. Then the troop leader, Bark Crownleaf, dies from a violent encounter. The baboons thought that a hyena attacked him, but they found out how wrong they were.
I read this book and enjoyed it for several reasons. When I read it, I felt as if I was in the Brightforest camp, and each of the baboons all had their own goals and dreams. There are also a lot of twists and unexpected things in the plot that make the story even more interesting.
My favorite character was Thorn Deeproot because he is welcoming of Fearless Gallantpride and would do anything for his friends. For example, he protected his friend Mud when Nut (another baboon) was being mean to him. Another character worth mentioning is Fearless since most of the story is about him, and he learns how to survive in a new environment. The elephant can read messages from “the spirits” and interpret them. She also cares about her family member’s safety and looks out for them.
Bravelands is a great book for LRHS students to read, or just anyone because of the plot, and how the different animal groups interact with one another. If you like Lion King or any of the “Warriors” books, you’ll like “Bravelands: Broken Pride.”
Overall I give this book 5 out of 5 stars because it makes me feel as if I’m in the wilderness with the baboons. Another thing that makes the book interesting is how each character is different from each other. Grub Highleaf wants to be troop leader someday, Thorn Lowleaf wants to be with Berry Highleaf, and Fearless wants to rescue his family from Titan. You will have a hard time putting this book down!
Hi! My name is Isabel and I am a staff writer for The Mycenaean. I am also a member of Leesville’s Math Club.
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