Seekers is a children's novel series written by Tui Sutherland and Cherith Baldry, and edited by Victoria Holmes, under the pseudonym of Erin Hunter.
The series follows the adventures of four North American bears, Lusa the black bear, Toklo the grizzly bear, and Kallik the polar bear and a shape-shifting grizzly cub by the name of Ujurak. They make a long and difficult journey to the deepest arctic where Ujurak will learn the true nature of his destiny.
After a series of extraordinary events bring all four bears together, they set out on a long and dangerous journey, in order to discover something vitally important, not just for themselves, but for every one of their species. The books are set a little way into the future, where the lives of all wild animals have been severely compromised by human encroachment on their habitat and natural sources of food. All these three kinds of bears have forgotten how to be truly "wild", which is a lesson they must learn as they travel from their BirthDens on the journey of a lifetime.
This series consists of six books.
Description[]
The Quest Begins[]
- When three young bears from different species—black, polar, and grizzly—are separated from their families, fate brings them together on a path that will change their lives forever.
- Along the way, they will face great danger, terrible tragedies, new landscapes, and situations that require all their ingenuity to survive.
Great Bear Lake[]
- Three bear cubs from three different species—black, polar, and grizzly—and a mysterious shape-shifting bear named Ujurak have found themselves brought together to journey toward the Northern Lights.
- Now their paths have converged at Great Bear Lake, where all bears gather to celebrate the Longest Day. But danger lurks ahead, and the young bears’ determination will be tested as they fight to survive the harsh realities of the wild.
Smoke Mountain[]
- United at last, polar bears Kallik and Taqqiq, black bear Lusa, grizzly bear Toklo, and Ujurak, the mysterious shape-shifting bear, learn of a place they think must be the destination of their quest: the Last Great Wilderness.
- But getting there means crossing the burning Smoke Mountains, which hold obstacles more treacherous than anything they've faced so far….
The Last Wilderness[]
- Is this the journey's end... or just the beginning?
- Grizzly bear Toklo, polar bear Kallik, black bear Lusa, and their shape-shifting guide Ujurak have finally reached the Last Great Wilderness, the legendary place they've been searching for. But is this really where they're meant to be?
- One by one the bears begin to grow apart: Toklo feels the urge to hunt and mark his territory, while Kallik feels the pull of the ice within her. Only Lusa fears the day when her friends will leave her to follow their own paths.
- When disaster strikes, the bears are forced to leave the sanctuary and enter flat-face territory—or risk losing one of their own. Now their journey's end seems farther away than ever, as a new path spreads out before them.
Fire in the Sky[]
- The spirits dance like fire in the sky...
- The three cubs—Kallik, Toklo, and Lusa—along with their shape-shifting companion, Ujurak, stand on the edge of the sea-ice under the blazing Northern Lights. The land has come to an end, but the bears' journey is far from over. Now they must put their trust in Kallik's paws, as she feels the ice pulling her out toward the ocean.
- Life on the ice is more difficult than the bears imagined. While Kallik struggles to remember her polar bear roots, Toklo bristles in the unfamiliar territory and Lusa gets weaker by the day; black and brown bears don't belong on the ice. Meanwhile, Ujurak learns firsthand what lurks beneath the whorls and bubbles of the ice, and what he discovers will change everything.
- Just when it seems like they'll never survive in the frozen wilderness, a mystical encounter with a bear spirit assures them that all will be well. But this strange vision leads to even more questions, and ultimately it might tear the bears apart—this time for good—as the next steps of their journey come into focus.
Spirits in the Stars[]
- On the unforgiving Arctic Ice...
- United once again, Toklo, Lusa, Kallik, and Ujurak continue across the ice. Conditions are harsh and especially treacherous for the black bear and grizzly bears who are not used to the brutal cold, never-ending snow, and limited food. But the bears are certain now that they're on the right course, and with the stars still guiding them, they push forward.
- When they reach land, at last, the group is overjoyed, but something is not right. The bears who live here are ill. What's wrong with them? What can the foursome do to help? Is aiding these strangers the ultimate goal of their quest? Ujurak just might hold the key to their mission in his paws, yet it's Lusa the new bears are especially interested in.
- Three young cubs, each from different backgrounds, and their mysterious shape-shifting companion have grown up together in their long and dangerous journey to save the wild. Now, when their task appears more difficult than ever, the bears must make a critical decision . . . and for one bear, the path ends here.
Characters[]
- Kallik is a polar bear. Like other polar bears, she depends on her mother to teach her how to hunt and survive until she is old enough to do it on her own. Her brother is her favorite playmate, but he is restless and has trouble paying attention. Kallik is a good learner and is anxious to know the secrets her mother has to impart. But when she finds herself suddenly alone, Kallik must figure out how to survive on her own.
- Lusa has lived her life in captivity. With her mother and father, she is fed and cared for in the zoo that has always been her home. While her mother was also born in a zoo, her father used to live in the wild. Lusa loves to hear about life in the wild and longs to see the forests and the mountains for herself someday. If only she can learn the ways of the wild, she knows she can survive.
- Toklo, his mother, and his brother, Tobi, have been roaming the forest for a long time. Toklo loves to play and have fun, but Tobi is very ill. Instead of learning to hunt and fish, Toklo spends much of his time watching his mother care for Tobi. Toklo longs for the day when he will be able to be on his own, but when that day comes, it’s not what he was expecting.
- After losing his mother at a young age, Ujurak, a grizzly bear cub, started a journey alone to discover the truth about his life. But when he meets Toklo, he realizes it’s better to travel with others and joins him on a quest to find true paradise. He seems like a normal grizzly on the surface until the bears learn there’s something unusual about Ujurak.
Books[]
Trivia[]
- The series was originally called "The Clawed Path". At the very last moment, the title was changed so that the font could look exactly the same as that of the Warriors series; one word, plural. Victoria Holmes says that she wasn't happy with the change at first, but that now she has actually come to like it and the way it looks on the books.
- There have been several names changes for books:
- Book 4 - (Original Name) - The Last Great Wilderness
- Book 6 - (Original Names) - Sea of Chaos, Bears in the Sky
- Book 7 - (Original Name) - Bears in the Sky, (Deleted)
- All of these books actually were made.
- The Last Great Wilderness - The Last Wilderness
- Sea of Chaos - Fire in the Sky (joined)
- Bears in the Sky - Spirits in the Stars
- All of these books actually were made.
- The Original Series originally consisted of seven books:
- The Quest Begins
- Great Bear Lake
- Smoke Mountain
- The Last Great Wilderness
- Fire in the Sky
- Sea of Chaos
- Bears in the Sky