Ratha’s Courage (The Fifth Book of The Named) by Clare Bell

• 11/14/2013
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Ratha’s Courage (The Fifth Book of The Named)
Clare Bell
Imaginator Press (2008)
ISBN 9780974560366
Reviewed by Ian McCurley (age 15) for Reader Views (1/09)

“Ratha’s Courage” is about a cat named Ratha who is a cheetah.  She is a member of a sentient race of big cats called The Named.  During the story, Ratha attempts to unite The Named with another group of sentient cats.  This presents challenges because while The Named cats are very independent, this other clan has a huge sense of unity, almost like a hive-mind.  This creates much conflict, and Ratha must rise and adapt to the challenge of unifying these two clans.

In “Ratha’s Courage,” author Clare Bell creates a story that seems out of place through the eyes of a cat.  However, her writing style is more original than some, and is appropriate given this point of view.  The cat-like elements of the cats in the story are obvious to those who own cats.  The author does a more than satisfactory job of giving a believable voice to the cats, as well as putting the reader into the cat’s perspective.  Cat lovers, especially the octogenarians with many cats in their apartments, would enjoy this book.  Though this may be, any cat lover, ages 13 and up, would enjoy “Ratha’s Courage.”