Perloo, a peaceful scholar who has been chosen to succeed Jolaine as leader of the furry underground people called the Montmers, finds himself in danger when Jolaine dies and her evil son seizes control of the burrow.

Behind the Book

Avi writes:

Robert, one of my sons—and his friends—were reading a lot of fantasy. I noticed that a lot of it had an old-world, European setting and feel, with much of the mythology coming from Old England. It was a world I loved, too.

But I wondered if I could create a fantasy that used some of the Colorado world—the mountains, the snow, and skiing. Maybe I could even use some of the Colorado creatures, like prairie dogs, hares, wolves, and magpies.

So I created a mountainous world with a lot of snow, and creatures with long legs so they could ski. Their story was called Perloo the Bold, someonewho might not have been very bold when the story begins, but who has lots of high (as in mountainous) adventures.

I dedicated the book to Robert.