The Sorcerer of the North by John Flanagan

Will's a full Ranger now and just arriving in his new fief! At first it seems like things might be too quiet in the backwater he's landed in, but things start heating up quick. First, there's a Skandian raid and then not long after Will is off on a secret mission to the far North, where there have been rumors of an ancient sorcerer back for revenge.

This book packs in the action cover to cover: a ghostly warrior, a sorcerer, poison, a betrayal and- of course- lots of sneaking around in the woods. I loved this book from start to finish, my only gripe with it was its ending. Very little is resolved and it feels like there's a least a chapter (maybe 3 or 4) missing. I'm sure Flanagan will resolve everything from this book in the next one, but I still feel a little cheated. Even with the problem with the ending, this one definitely passes the first book test. In fact, this is one of my favorite books of the series. Give this one to adventure/ medieval enthusiasts grades 5-9.

Ranger's Apprentice The Burning Bridge and the Icebound Land

These are two great books, the second and third installment of the Ranger's Apprentice series. The books feature Will, a ranger's apprentice, as he learns the ranger's craft from Halt a legendary ranger during tumultuous times in his home kingdom of Araulen. In The Burning Bridge Morgarath is threatening the kingdom once more. So Will travels to Celtica with Horace and Gilan a Ranger and former apprentice of Halt. Along the way our heroes manage to encounter a healthy helping of adventure not to mention the bandits, mysterious empty villages and of course, the burning bridge.

In the Icebound Land Will is taken prisoner and held captive in distant Skandia. Meanwhile, Halt and Horace travel over land in search of Will. This book was slower paced than the first two; mostly because it features the ever popular (and highly cliché) captured and held prisoner plot line (actually two separate captured plot lines if you can believe it). Another thing that bothered me about this book was a somewhat heavy-handed anti-drug message. However, the characters are still very engaging and the book still manages to pack in the action (I particularly enjoyed the jousting).

Both books are full of adventure and should surely hold the attention of fans of the fantasy genre. If you like the middle ages, high action books or even cloak and dagger type spy books this series is a must read. For grades 5-9.