THE RUNAWAY

Running away from her rat enslavers, an orphaned monkey finds her place in a rabbit village in this debut children’s fantasy.

Young Mysti, a little brown monkey with an orange topknot, can’t remember anything of her life before being taken up as a baby by a gang of thieving, violent, dirty rats and forced to work for the group. Seeing a chance to escape, Mysti endures a long and exhausting journey until reaching the Reanlands, inhabited by rabbits. A she-rabbit named Feona discovers her and, taking pity on Mysti’s sorry state, brings her home. Mysti, never having been treated kindly, is at first wary and secretive, but she eventually settles into helping Feona on the farm and joining in village life, despite some rabbits’ mistrust of her. At the annual Berry Festival, where rabbits gather for trade and fun, Mysti meets the Teg, “a storyteller, a singer, a keeper of history and lore.” He explains the significance of the moonstone necklace she’s always had and how she might have a special destiny with the rabbits. When festivalgoers almost drown in rising floodwaters, Mysti’s ingenuity saves them. Later, Feona goes out on a freezing cold night and Mysti starts looking for her. Helm intends her book as the first of a series, and she certainly whets readers’ appetites for more. Though the rabbits live in a seemingly gentle world of crops, tradecraft, and markets, this is no cozy Beatrix Potter setting but a dangerous realm with a dark underside and complex history. Mysti’s special role, as yet unclear, will also intrigue readers. But the tale ends on an unsatisfying cliffhanger involving a major character, with the outcome unknown. The sprightly monochrome pictures by debut illustrator Edwards nicely convey the players’ endearing personalities.

A fantasy series opener with captivating animal characters and cultures.