Bravepaw and the Songstone of the Deep by LM Wilkinson illustrated by Lavanya Naidu

Titch (Tithonia Proudleaf) has been charged with the task of collecting the four Gems of Harmony - Clawstone, Fangstone, Dreamstone and Songstone. Titch herself cannot believe this is true but it seems she is the new Bravepaw. As this fourth book opens we read that Titch is again on her quest to find the gems - now she needs the Dreamstone and the Songstone.

"Maybe the Dreamstone would be easy to find - safe in the royal treasury. Maybe the Songstone would be there too. Maybe, with all the gems reunited, she could hand the staff to Prince Vetiver and let him battle the Deadroot. Then she and Huckleberry could go home to the Plateau, and everything would be alright again."

Spoiler alert - by page 95 Titch has the Dreamstone but finding the Songstone is going to be so much more treacherous. Titch and her two friends - Huckleberry and Briar Nettlebrush will need to return to the Plateau because it has been engulfed by an enormous crack and hordes of curseworms and then Titch learns another part of the prophecy:

Deep at the end of everything

rests the final stone.

It can only be found if you

journey alone.

United the gems

will close the crack.

But if you triumph alone,

you can never come back.

And there are also the words of the Oglethorpe prophecy:

In the time of greatest need

Pay the highest price

The purest of heart must make

The greatest sacrifice

Curseworms are dreadful but there are other horrors that emerge through the crack - Abyss Hounds and  Skitterlings.

"The cloud was made up of monsters - small, leather-winged creatures with sharp claws and even sharper teeth."

At its heart, however, this is a story about friendship, loyalty, responsibility and discovering the courage within yourself. Readers will enjoy cheering on Titch as she faces deep feelings of fear and uncertainty and continuing even when the challenge seems overwhelming. Read Plus

Here we are at the finale, the book that the previous three have been building to as the search for the final two stones comes to a head, and as characters from the previous three books come back, as do the prophecies from a chicken that they’re still trying to make sense of. So, this is a series best read in order. Each book follows on directly from the previous one, diving right into the action and getting Titch and her crew exactly where they need to be when they need to be. The Book Muse

Before you read this fourth book please check out my blog posts for the first three from the series. Your young reading companion will need to start at the beginning and read all four because that will make the heroism of Titch and her huge group of new friends all the more wonderful. Plus in this newest book nearly all the characters we met previously have returned including the wonderfu Earna the eaglebear and Master Sticklepin the hedgehog librarian. Here is a video review.

Bravepaw and the Heartstone of Alluria; Bravepaw and the Clawstone of Rotwood Mire; Bravepaw and the Fangstone of Flintfall

Bookseller blurb for Bravepaw and the Songstone of the Deep: Titch and Huckleberry have journeyed a long way from their cosy home on the Plateau - and all they want to do is go home, eat some tasty plums and play in the cooling stream. But Titch is a hero now, whether she likes it or not, and heroes do not give up, not when Alluria needs heroes more than ever before! Titch knows that there are many ways to be brave, and she has friendship, brave and true, on her side - but will that be enough to stand against the forces of darkness, when all of Alluria is cracking open? Now, at the final hour, will the prophecy be fulfilled? Can Bravepaw unite the Gems of Harmony and save the world?

This is the fourth and final book in the Bravepaw series and I have thoroughly enjoyed each of them. I actually squealed when I saw this final installment in a bookstore.

If I still worked in a school library I would love to showcase this set on a display - even their spines are special! And if I worked in a school I would really want to give this series to a class teacher as a set of books to read aloud - not to study, not to complete worksheets, just for the sheer joy of reading wonderful books which feature courage, heroism, battles, teamwork, friendship and of course a quest to save the world!