Whether you crave action, humour, or romance, the series "Ranger's Apprentice" by John Flanagan has something to offer you. From the very beginning, this book captured my attention when a small, orphaned boy named Will nervously prepared for the most important day of his life: the day he might be recruited as a knight. Will is devastated when he is dismissed by the knight commander because of his size and a bigger, burlier boy called Horace is offered his dream job instead. However, contrary to Will's belief his fate still hadn't been decided. Little did he know another had kept a close eye on him all along . . .
That other was the kingdom's ranger, Halt, a mysterious man renowned for his wit and skills with a bow and arrow. Halt adopts Will as his apprentice and teaches the young man the art of being a king's ranger. During his time with Halt Will journeys to untrodden places while fulfilling the missions that the king assigns to his rangers. In the beginning, Will is impatient and annoyed with Halt's teachings, yet soon he discovers becoming a ranger was the best thing that happened to him after all.
Ranger's Apprentice 1: The Ruins of Gorlan
John Flanagan, the author of this series, originally wrote stories about Will's adventures to encourage his 12 year old son Michael to get into reading. Michael was a small boy and his father wanted to teach him that "good things come in small packages". Since then the series has been sold in over twenty countries, regularly appeared in The New York Times Bestseller List and been shortlisted for children's book awards in Australia and overseas.
Something that makes this series of books so special is the lifelike characters John Flanagan has invented. They are what generate all the humour in the books. The characters in these books have made me laugh out loud so hard that my mother had to seek me out in the house to check I was okay. To this day when I think back to Halt's snide remarks I still have difficulty controlling my giggles. Never have I felt more joy in my heart for a character then when one of John Flanagan's found love and never have I feared more for a character when one was in danger. His astounding characters really make each book in this series a worthwhile read.
There are twelve books in the Ranger's Apprentice series. I've read (and loved) the first eleven books and am eagerly awaiting the chance to read book twelve which only recently came out. I'd recommend Ranger's Apprentice to anyone, any age of any gender. If you ever see first book "The Ruins of Gorland" lying on the library shelf, pick it up, borrow it out and read it. Then continue on and read the next book in the series and the next and the next after that. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
Author's Note: Visit the official Ranger's Apprentice site at: http://www.rangersapprentice.com.au/
