The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan ~ (Ranger's Apprentice: book 1)

Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan is the first book in a 12-book series (which I've read all of them so I know they whole thing). It all starts with an orphan boy named Will and his orphan friends Alyss, Jenny, and Horace. Choosing day is coming up. Now at this point your probably asking yourself "What's Choosing day is it like Harry Potter or something"? Well I'm glad you asked, Choosing day is a event in which every 15 year old chooses a class (or a job specifically) that will be with them for the rest of their lives. They have multiple classes but I'm gonna name a few. They have Courier, Ranger, Knight, and Cooker (or something like that).

I recommend you read the book to know what all these classes are because if I told you the definition of every class then we'd be here for hours. So let's just focus on two in particular, a Ranger and a Knight. A Knight is something every fantasy reader should know so I'm gonna skip that. A ranger is a very special force that specializes in planning wars and deadly assassinations. Now at first Will wants to be a Knight but he's too short and not strong enough. So he doesn't get chosen to that class. To make things worse no other teacher (or whatever they call them) wants Will. Then the Ranger Halt passes a note to Baron Arald. (Baron: A position before king or queen. Kinda the second most important person in a kingdom or Fief.)

Skipping ahead Will gets accepted as a Ranger and starts training. In order to stop you from getting bored I provide you with one last sentence. Just then as Will is training a storm's brewing as evil Morgarath is planning a war, and a deadly war for sure.

So that's about it there are HUGE bits and pieces I've missed out so be sure to read the first book. Also here's a quick note: The first book MAY be boring because it's introducing you to everything but as you read for book 2 beyond everything gets better. I don't think you should skip around between the books as that will confuse you. Thanks for reading and be sure to check out Ranger's Apprentice at the Grove JR High Library (In the fantasy section).

Reviewed by Conrad ~ 6th Grade

Lexile 920