Top 4 Things You Absolutely Must Know About Warriors

1. What is Warriors?

Warriors is a bestselling series ofbooks about Clans of wild catsthat has become a sensationamong middle grade and youngadult readers. Unlike “kittypets”living with humans, the wild catsin these books care for themselves.They tend to their young andelders. They heal with herbalremedies. They train warriors toprotect the Clans. The warriorcats have a code of honor andvalue valor and Clan loyalty.Great warriors also receiveguidance from StarClan, thespirit-cat ancestors.

2. What is the Warriorsbook series about?

Three six-book story arcscurrently make up the series: theoriginal Warriors, Warriors:The New Prophecy, andWarriors: Power of Three.

The original Warriors booksintroduce readers to Rusty, akitten who leaves hiscomfortable human home forthe warrior life. Despite Clanprejudice against cats born incaptivity, Rusty becomes awarrior, and his Clan,ThunderClan, renames himFirepaw. Clever and strong,Firepaw fights to protectThunderClan from other catClans. He also battles catswithin ThunderClan whotreacherously violate the warrior code. Firepaw eventuallyrises to become the leader ofThunderClan.

In Warriors: The NewProphecy, the warrior cats’forest home is threatened.Following the guidance ofStarClan, children of cats fromthe original Warriors books seeka new home for all of the Clans.These young, valiant cats venturefarther than they ever expectedto travel and forge unexpectedcross-Clan alliances.

Warriors: Power of Threefeatures the third generation ofwarrior cats. These cats areespecially gifted, and StarClanprophesies their importance tothe Clans. As prejudice againstcats born outside the Clansgrows and fighting threatens thewarrior code, the gifted catsstruggle to help the Clanssurvive.

The series also includes severalcompanion books—WarriorsSuper Edition: Firestar’sQuest, Warriors Field Guide:Secrets of the Clans, andWarriors: Cats of theClans—as well as a series ofmanga titles.

3. Why do kids loveWarriors?

Kids are such huge fans ofWarriors for many reasons. Theyembrace the universal flaws,doubts, and fears of the catcharacters, and they relate to thewarrior cats’ struggles to bebrave and honorable. Fans alsobecome caught up in thecomplex world depicted in thestories, with its unique

geography, history, andmythology.

As ninth-grader Sami Rae Beyersummed up in a review in theAtlanta Journal-Constitution,

“Author Erin Hunter makes youfeel like you really know thecharacters. You sweat during theintense parts and cry in the sadtimes. You’ll want to read theseries . . . over and over again.”

4. Where can I find outmore about Warriors?

For Warriors news, games,illustrations, and information,visit the official website:www.warriorcats.com.

The bestselling Warriors series has captured the imaginations of children and teens across thecountry. Readers are fascinatedby the feline characters and theseries’ primary themes: behavingcourageously, working hard,staying loyal, and finding one’sinner strength. Because of thisfascination, kids and teens arerereading the books again andagain, as well as discussing whatthey’ve read in libraries, in chatrooms, and on online discussionboards. Many write fan fictionthat incorporates elements fromthe series.

Educators and librarians cancapitalize on their students’

enthusiasm for Warriors by usingthe series to teach essentialacademic skills. The purpose ofthis guide is to give you back-ground information on thebooks, as well as provide youwith educational activitiesappropriate for a variety ofcurriculums and settings.

Below, read about Erin Hunter,the pseudonym for the writersbehind the successful series.Then flip to the easy-to-followtwo-page spread that outlines thethree Warriors story arcs, alongwith all of the books currently inthe series. Finally, turn to theClassroom Activities section,where you’ll find:

• Discussion Questions:open-ended questions relatingto each of the three storylines

• Curriculum Connections:project ideas based on theseries and reaching acrosscurriculum boundaries

• Get Creative: arts-basedWarriors activities that callupon students’ creativity

Use this guide as a starting pointfor ideas on how to incorporatethe Warriors books into the lifeof your classroom or library. Asyou find new ways to enjoy theseries with your students, youmay want to combine activitiesand spin off your own discussionquestions.

Introduction to This Guide

Who is Erin Hunter?Erin Hunter is actually a pseudonym. Victoria Holmes comes upwith the Warriors story ideas, while Cherith Baldry and Kate Carytake turns writing the books. Working together, Victoria, Cherith,and Kate are Erin Hunter.

Cherith Baldry, a former teacher, lives in England. On the subject ofwriting, she has said, “It’s more interesting to have characters who haveshades of gray in their personalities rather than being black or white.That’s how the real world is, after all.” Cherith’s cats Bramblepaw andSorreltail are the inspiration for the Warriors cats with the same names, and they behave just as they do inthe stories.

Kate Cary lives in the north of England. She has said that she credits the popularity of these books to thefictional Warriors world, which is “an exciting place to escape into—it encompasses very human themes,like bravery, loyalty, love, kindness, cruelty, greed, and loss.” Kate’s cats Willow, Flower, and Miu-Miu areknown to take naps on her Warriors manuscripts.

Like her Warriors colleagues, Victoria Holmes lives in England. She thinks that writing Warriors as partof a team works well: “Teaming up with Kate and Cherith on the Warriors books is an unconventional wayof working, but we love writing the books together and it means we can produce them much faster than asingle writer could. We each have our favorite characters and ideas for what could happen next, whichmeans the stories have three times as much energy and passion!” Victoria grew up on a farm and loves allanimals, including cats, though she is especially fond of dogs and horses.

Warriors #1: Into the WildTr 978-0-06-000002-8 • $16.99 ($18.99)Pb 978-0-06-052550-7 • $6.99 ($8.75)

Warriors #2: Fire and IceTr 978-0-06-000003-5 • $16.99 ($18.99)Lb 978-0-06-052556-9 • $17.89 ($19.89)Pb 978-0-06-052559-0 • $6.99 ($8.75)

Warriors #3: Forest of SecretsTr 978-0-06-000004-2 • $16.99 ($18.99)Lb 978-0-06-052560-6 • $17.89 ($19.89)Pb 978-0-06-052561-3 • $6.99 ($8.75)

Warriors #4: Rising StormTr 978-0-06-000005-9 • $16.99 ($23.99)Lb 978-0-06-052562-0 • $17.89 ($18.89)Pb 978-0-06-052563-7 • $6.99 ($8.75)

Warriors #5: A Dangerous PathTr 978-0-06-000006-6 • $16.99 ($18.99)Lb 978-0-06-052564-4 • $17.89 ($19.89)Pb 978-0-06-052565-1 • $6.99 ($8.75)

Warriors #6: The Darkest HourTr 978-0-06-000007-3 • $15.99 ($23.99)Lb 978-0-06-052584-2 • $17.89 ($20.89)Pb 978-0-06-052585-9 • $6.99 ($8.75)

Warriors Box Set: Volumes 1–3Pb 978-0-06-089190-9 • $15.99 ($19.99)

Warriors Box Set: Volumes 1–6Pb 978-0-06-147793-5 • $36.99 ($46.50)

Warriors: The New Prophecy #1: MidnightTr 978-0-06-074449-6 • $16.99 ($21.99)Lb 978-0-06-074450-2 • $17.89 ($19.89)Pb 978-0-06-074451-9 • $6.99 ($8.75)

Warriors: The New Prophecy #2: MoonriseTr 978-0-06-074452-6 • $15.99 ($21.99)Lb 978-0-06-074453-3 • $17.89 ($19.89)Pb 978-0-06-074454-0 • $6.99 ($8.75)

Warriors: The New Prophecy #3: DawnTr 978-0-06-074455-7 • $15.99 ($21.99)Lb 978-0-06-074456-4 • $17.89 ($20.89)Pb 978-0-06-074457-1 • $6.99 ($7.50)

Warriors: The New Prophecy #4: StarlightTr 978-0-06-082758-8 • $16.99 ($21.50)Lb 978-0-06-082760-1 • $17.89 ($20.89)Pb 978-0-06-082762-5 • $6.99 ($8.75)

CD 978-0-06-089736-9 • $25.95 ($29.95)

Warriors: The New Prophecy #5: TwilightTr 978-0-06-082764-9 • $16.99 ($19.99)Lb 978-0-06-082766-3 • $16.89 ($19.89)Pb 978-0-06-082767-0 • $6.99 ($8.75)

CD 978-0-06-121506-3 • $25.95 ($29.95)

Warriors: The New Prophecy #6: SunsetTr 978-0-06-082769-4 • $16.99 ($21.50)Lb 978-0-06-082770-0 • $17.89 ($20.89)Pb 978-0-06-082771-7 • $6.99 ($8.75)

CD 978-0-06-121497-4 • $25.95 ($29.95)

The original national bestselling adventure series

The next generation of warrior cats is on a quest to save the Clans from destruction

T H E N E W P R O P H E C Y

www.warriorcats.com

Welcome to the exciting world ofWelcome to the exciting world of

Warriors: Power of Three #1: The SightTr 978-0-06-089201-2 • $16.99 ($21.50)Lb 978-0-06-089203-6 • $17.89 ($20.89)Pb 978-0-06-089204-3 • $6.99 ($8.75)

Warriors: Power of Three #2: Dark RiverTr 978-0-06-089205-0 • $16.99 ($19.99)Lb 978-0-06-089206-7 • $17.89 ($20.89)

Warriors: Power of Three #3: OutcastTr 978-0-06-089208-1 • $16.99 ($19.99)Lb 978-0-06-089209-8 • $17.89 ($20.89)

The newest generation of warrior cats holds more power than any ever has before

Coming soon! Coming soon!

Power ofThree #5

Available Winter 2009

Power ofThree #6

Available Summer 2009

P O W E R O F T H R E E

Warriors: The Lost WarriorPb 978-0-06-124020-1 • $6.99 ($8.75)

Warriors: Warrior’s RefugePb 978-0-06-125231-0 • $6.99 ($8.75)

Warriors: Warrior’s ReturnPb 978-0-06-125233-4 • $6.99 ($7.50)

Warriors: The Rise of ScourgePb 978-0-06-147867-3 • $6.99 ($7.50)

ON SALE 6/24/08

M A N G A

The heroic warrior cats come to life in manga from

Exciting companion books to the bestselling series

Warriors Super Edition: Firestar’s QuestTr 978-0-06-113164-6 • $17.99 ($19.99)Lb 978-0-06-113166-0 • $18.89 ($21.89)Pb 978-0-06-113167-7 • $7.99 ($8.75)

ON SALE 5/13/08

Warriors Field Guide: Secrets of the ClansTr 978-0-06-123903-8 • $15.99 ($19.99)Lb 978-0-06-123904-5 • $16.89 ($19.89)

Warriors: Cats of the ClansTr 978-0-06-145856-9 • $15.99 ($17.25)

ON SALE 6/24/08

www.warriorcats.com

Erin Hunter’s bestsellingErin Hunter’s bestselling

Warriors: Power of Three #4: EclipseTr 978-0-06-089211-1 • $16.99 ($18.50)Lb 978-0-06-089212-8 • $17.89 ($18.89)

Coming Fall 2008

Classroom Activities for

House kitten Rusty wanders into the forest and meets a wild cat——a kind of cat that he didn’t even know existed. Rustyjoins a wild cat Clan, and though warrior blood doesn’t run inhis veins, he strives to become one of the Clans’ greatestwarriors.

Discussion Questions

1. Some ThunderClan cats say that only those born with “warrior blood”can become warriors. What do they mean by “warrior blood”? Whymight they think cats need it to become warriors? What similararguments have you heard about people, their “blood,” and their abilitiesor talents? What do you think of these arguments? Explain your answer.

2. Why does Rusty (later Firepaw, Fireheart, and Firestar) decide to becomea warrior rather than live as a “kittypet” in a comfortable home withhumans? Under what circumstances would you choose a difficult life?What might you learn from hardship?

3. Why are prophecies so crucial to the cat Clans? What might the warriorcats’ lives be like without prophecies? Are prophecies important to you?Why or why not?

4. Sometimes cats in Warriors must choose between being loyal to friendsand being loyal to their Clans. Why do you think they make the choicesthey do? Have you ever had to choose between being loyal to a friendand being loyal to your family or school? What choice did you make, and why?

5. Are the treacherous cats in Warriors evil, or dothey only have mistaken beliefs? What is thedifference between someone who is evil andsomeone who is simply mistaken? Explainyour answer.

6. What traits make Rusty (later Firepaw,Fireheart, and Firestar) a successful leader? How are these traits similar to or different from those that people need to become successfulleaders? Who are the great leaders in your life, andwhat makes them great?

Classroom Activities for

the Original the Original

Curriculum Connections

1. Erin Hunter’s warrior cats oftenbehave as real cats do. Instructyour students to choose ananimal and then research itsappearance, habitat, andbehavior. Incorporating theinformation they’ve collected,have them write a short storyabout their animal. (Science, Language Arts)

2. Invite your students to study themaps at the beginning of eachWarriors book. Then ask them tocraft a similar map of theirneighborhood, schoolyard, orlibrary for either a cat of theirown imagining or a cat that theyknow in real life. Have themlabel or designate each importantlandmark and geographic feature.(Social Studies)

3. Instruct students to conduct asurvey by asking their friends,family, and classmates whichWarriors book or which Warriorscharacter they like best. Havethem collect all of the answersand then design a graph thataccurately represents the datathey collected. Students couldcreate the graph by hand or use aspreadsheet program, like Excel. (Mathematics, Technology)

Get Creative

1. Encourage each student tobrainstorm a list of adjectivesthat describes his or her favoriteWarriors cat. Then have studentsuse at least five of thesedescriptive words in a shapepoem about the cat. A shapepoem takes the form of theobject it is describing, so yourstudents’ poems should all beshaped like cats. (Language Arts)

2. Have students gather photos,pictures or words frommagazines, fabric, leaves, oranything else that catches theireye and that calls to mind theWarriors books. Then invitestudents to construct a collageillustration of their favoriteWarriors book or character. (Fine Arts)

When StarClan prophesies terrible danger for the Clans,young cats are selected to seek help by banding togetheracross Clan alliances. These warriors face a treacherousjourney and a crucial test: to become companions despitepast Clan rivalries and warfare.

Discussion Questions

1. How might Firestar’s successes as a leader and a warrior influence thechoices Squirrelpaw makes? How might knowledge of Tigerstar’s violenceinfluence Brambleclaw’s choices? Do the successes and failures of parentsalways affect children’s choices? Explain your answer.

2. In what ways are sisters Squirrelpaw and Leafpaw different? Why might they still get along so well, despite their differences? How mightpersonality dissimilarities be important to siblings, and how might theybe unimportant?

3. Brambleclaw and his companions initially choose to keep their dreamsfrom the other cats in their Clans. Why? Have you ever decided thatkeeping a secret was for the best? Why, or why not? Under whatcircumstances is keeping a secret necessary or beneficial?

4. In what ways is the cross-Clan collaboration successful? Think of asituation during which people you know from disparate groups had towork together. What made working together difficult for them? How didthey overcome their difficulties and collaborate successfully?

5. Why do many Warriors cats feel uncomfortable with cross-Clan romanticrelationships? How might their discomfort be similar to the discomfortpeople feel in regard to relationships between membersof different racial, ethnic, or religious groups?What reasons do people have for such discomfort, and how can they become more tolerant and accepting?

6. For what reasons might humans havechosen to change the cat Clans’ forest?Are human needs for things like homes,roads, and stores always more importantthan the needs of animals? Why, or whynot?

Classroom Activities for Classroom Activities for

Curriculum Connections

1. In Warriors: The New Prophecy,the cats set out like explorers tosave the Clans from the threat tothe forest. Instruct students topretend that they are searchingfor a new place to live by taking avirtual exploration trip. Havethem choose a location anywherein the world and then researcheverything they would need toknow before moving there:necessary travel plans, livingconditions, customs or laws thatdiffer from those where they livenow, means of transportation,geography, weather, political andeconomic stability, costs of living,and recent news items. Havestudents create a brochure ormultimedia presentation abouttheir new home and present it tothe class. (Social Studies,Language Arts, Technology)

2. Erin Hunter often uses similes inthe Warriors books. Ask studentsto write down seven of theirfavorite Warriors similes. Thenhave them invent at least seven oftheir own similes and incorporatethem into a short story. (Language Arts)

3. Instruct students to imagine thatthey are designing a new housingdevelopment and that it is to bebuilt on land that is currentlyhome to many wild animals. Haveeach child brainstorm innovativeways that his or her developmentmight provide housing forhumans while maintaining wildstretches of land for animals. Askeach student to draft a reportoutlining his or her innovations.(Science, Social Studies,Technology)

Get Creative

1. Invite students to create real-liferepresentations of the make-believe world of Warriors. Assigna creative medium, whetherpapier-mâché, clay, collage,fabric, a mobile, or a diorama,and have students construct ascene or setting that is significantto ThunderClan. (Fine Arts)

2. Ask small groups of students tochoose a favorite Warriorscharacter and an important eventin that character’s life. Have eachgroup write a play that depictsthis event and then perform theplay in front of the class. (Fine Arts)

: The New Prophecy: The New Prophecy

Three powerful ThunderClan kits start training, following in the footsteps of their much-honored parents, Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight, and their revered grandfather, Firestar. As prejudice against cats who aren’t ClanBorn threatens theClans’ survival, three kits—Hollypaw, Jaypaw, and Lionpaw—rise to become the most powerful cats the Clans have everseen.

Discussion Questions

1. How does Jaypaw “see” the world differently than others? What are theadvantages and disadvantages to the ways he views things? Which famousblind or visually-impaired people does he remind you of? Why does heresemble them?

2. How does Jaypaw’s pride help him, and how does it hinder him? Is prideusually an asset, a failing, or both? Provide reasons for your answer.

3. Considering StarClan’s prophecy, what might Hollypaw’s, Jaypaw’s, andLionpaw’s destinies be? As they make choices, how might they changetheir destinies? Do you believe that destiny or fate rules your life? Why,or why not?

4. Why do Hollypaw and Jaypaw have trouble choosing their roles inThunderClan? What problems have you faced in your own life whenchoosing a job or role? How did you find solutions?

5. Why do the cats mistrust those who aren’t ClanBorn? What effect doestheir mistrust have on the Clans? How are people similarlysuspicious of outsiders? In what ways are thesesuspicions justified, and in what ways are theybased on prejudices?

6. Many writers and politicians have observedthat having great power also means havinggreat responsibility. How might thisconnection between power and responsibilityaffect Warriors: Power of Three characters? Howmight it affect people you know? Have you everfelt great responsibility along with great power?Explain.

Classroom Activities for Classroom Activities for

Curriculum Connections

1. The Warriors cats’ genealogies—their pedigreesor lines of descent—are very important to them.Encourage students to research their owngenealogies: who their recent or more distantancestors were, where these ancestors lived,what jobs they held in their communities, andhow historical events might have affected them.Students can find out information by askingolder family members and by researching online.Have each child draw a family tree that includesall of the information that he or she hascollected. (Social Studies, Technology, Fine Arts)

2. Young Warriors cats study and train withmentors to learn skills that they will use asadults. Arrange mentoring opportunities for yourstudents with community members who canteach useful skills and provide insights intosubject areas that interest individual children.Have each child keep a journal to document hisor her time as an apprentice. (Standardsaddressed will vary with each mentorship, Language Arts)

3. To stay healthy, cats in the Warriors books usebasic first aid and common herbal remedies,while also consuming clean food and water.Challenge students to investigate first aidtechniques, common medicinal herbs, and thebest nearby places to get clean food and water.With the information they collect, have eachchild create a guide entitled “Easy Ways to Stay Healthy.” (Health, Science, Language Arts)

Get Creative

1. Since the Warriors: Power of Three storyline isnot yet complete, ask students to imagine whathappens next by drawing a comic or mangaadaptation of an episode that might appear in afuture book. (Fine Arts)

2. Ask pairs of students to create and record a songabout one of the books in the Warriors: Powerof Three story arc. Students may either writenew lyrics to go with the music of an alreadywell-known song or compose an original song in any musical genre that they feel evokes themood of the Warriors stories. (Fine Arts)

: Power of Three: Power of Three

Reading

Summer Reading ChallengeExplore new lands.

Establish and defend territory. Be a Reading Warrior.

The Reading Warriors Summer Reading Challenge is a summer reading program based onthe legends and adventures of the feline characters in the bestselling Warriors series. The goal ofthe program is to motivate and encourage children ages 8 to 12 to become Reading Warriorsby reading at least 10 books over the course of the summer. Help your students develop a love ofreading through this exciting, fun, and challenging summer project.

Learn more about the program and how you can incorporate the Reading Warriors SummerReading Challenge into your classroom by downloading the collectible booklet, mentor guide, and other materials from www.readingwarriors.com.

A new series by Erin Hunter!

Seekers #1: The Quest BeginsOn Sale 5/27/08

Visit www.seekerbears.com for contests, bear lore, maps, and more!

NEW

!