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Watership DownRichard Adams
Watership Down
by Richard Adams
Warned by his brother's vision that the warren will be destroyed, Hazel leads a handful of rabbits across country to find a hill and start again.
A story about animals, epic and adventurous in tone. We would put it with children of 11–13, and at a reading age of about 12 for reading alone.
Worth knowing before you buy
- An animal dies
- Battles and fighting
- Frightening scenes
None of this makes it a bad book — often the opposite. It is here so you can decide whether it is right for your child now or in a year or two.
Our take on this book
When the sensitive Fiver foresees the destruction of their warren, a small band of rabbits led by his brother Hazel flees across the English countryside in search of a new home — facing snares, rivers, a sinister tyrant-warren and a desperate final stand. Richard Adams's 1972 epic is one of the great animal novels: a genuine hero's journey with rabbits, rich with its own invented language and mythology, and utterly gripping. It is a substantial, demanding read with real darkness — danger, death, a brutal enemy warren — so it suits a strong, older reader ready for an epic with proper stakes, not a cosy bunny story. For a confident reader of eleven upward it is a magnificent, immersive adventure about courage, leadership and freedom, unforgettable in its scope and feeling. Long and weighty, it rewards commitment richly; for the right reader it becomes a lifelong favourite and one of the books they never forget.
If they like this, try these
Chosen by matching age, reading age, tone and subject — not by what is selling.
Asha and the Spirit BirdJasbinder Bilan
The Girl Who Speaks BearSophie Anderson
Podkin One-EarKieran Larwood
RedwallBrian Jacques
The Beasts of GrimheartKieran Larwood
The Gift of Dark HollowKieran Larwood
Or let them write their own.
Nothing gets a child reading like a story they invented themselves. Your child plans the characters and the plot, and we write, illustrate and print it as a real book with their name on the cover as the author.
Find another book
Tell us the age, the reading age and what they like, and we will suggest a handful.