The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne Duprau

reviewed by Kathryn A.

Blinding flashes of light shown, billows of fire rose, and hot wind whipped around a lady who was flung into the sky. She looked down on the earth which was engulfed in flames and smoke which were accompanied by a terrible noise, crashing, crackling of fire and a howling of the wind. Then ... silence, even more horrible than the previous sight. Could this possibly be a vision of war from God? Could this lady have seen into the future?

Jeanne Duprau’s third Book of Ember, The Prophet of Yonwood, begins when Althea Tower sees a sort of vision and then falls into shock, only being able to mumble a few barely coherent words. The city of Yonwood became full of tension, the talk of conflicts, terrorists and the end of the world were always on people’s lips. But amidst all this, a girl of eleven, Nickie Randolph, was determined to move into her deceased great-grandfather’s house which was located in Yonwood. Her aunt and mother had a very different view of the matter. As soon as it was cleaned up enough, they thought it should be sold straight away and taken off of their hands! When Nickie finally convinced her aunt to take her to the ancient mansion she set herself three goals:
1. To keep Greenhaven, her great grandfather’s house from being sold.
2. To fall in love.
3. To do something helpful for the world.
Little did she know all of these goals would be fulfilled, but not exactly in the ways she had imagined. Much worry, pain and hardship would present itself as she faced the secrecy and fright the house and city would so willingly provide!

The setting is very well developed and detailed. Even before you reach the heart of the story, events such as the mysterious smashing of a window with only a bloodstained cloth as a clue to the unwelcome intruder arrive. This really paints the picture of the type of city Yonwood had become due to the prophecy. The characters, too, are well thought out and quite complex. Constantly, the author is giving hints to what type of person each character is, and even before their true colors come out, the reader is able to guess the intentions of that person.

I would most definitely recommend this awesome book to anyone who enjoys books with unexpected occurrences and vivid detail intertwined to make a super plot! The main character, Nickie, is swayed between loyalty to her new friend and the urge to report him because she believed that he was doing wrong. Reporting him would cause him much anguish and grief, but, as she had goal three to fulfill, she believed it was her duty to report him. I feel that if I was in her place, I too would be torn between the two alternatives, but unlike her, in the end I feel that my decision would be to stay loyal to my friend, under the circumstances. To me a lesson was taught: go by what you think is right and don’t be influenced by other people’s opinions!

Dealing With Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

reviewed by Grace C.

Cimorene is not a normal princess, not even CLOSE. No princesses take magic, fencing, Latin, cooking, and economics. Except Princess Cimorene, that is. She gives a whole new meaning to "improper."

Dealing With Dragons starts with Cimorene getting in trouble for taking lessons improper to being a princess. It keeps going from there with her running away from marrying Prince Therandil. She ends up finding some dragons and becomes one's princess. She sends princes and knights away, fights wizards and cooks and cleans for the dragons. It all goes well until the wizards think up a scam involving Tokoz, King of the Dragons.

I enjoyed the wonderful characters such as Morwen the witch, Kazul the dragon, and of course, Cimorene. The book has a funny twist of the wizards being the bad guys. I laughed out loud at the way they portrayed princesses.

The overall plot of this book was great. I would recommend this book based on humor and being improper. It has moral as well, discouraging peer pressure and teaching you to be yourself, not what others think you should be.

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

reviewed by Kathryn A.

Many lives lay in a fifteen year-old orphan's hands, and guided by a skilled mentor, he must live up to the challenges that a Ranger's Apprentice's life would throw at him. In John Flanagan's first book in the Ranger's Apprentice series, The Ruins of Gorlan, questions are continuously going through both the young apprentice's mind and that of the reader. Why did the Ranger, Halt, choose Will to become his apprentice? Was this choice made out of pity? Is the young boy really suited for the job?

It all started on the day of the choosing, which was a day greatly anticipated by the castle wards, who were the orphans raised by the generosity of Baron Arald. On this day, craft masters would come to the castle and possibly select a fifteen year-old to become their apprentice. Once you were chosen, your fate was sealed; this day was feared more than any other. So, after much discussion and testing, a mysterious man, a Ranger, took Will as his apprentice. And during the numerous long months of training to shoot a bow and arrow, blend in with his surroundings, and become acquainted with his unusual horse, Tug, Will learned many lessons, not only on how to become a Ranger, but also a good friend to his childhood rival and a few others. His courage and devotion were tested as he risked his life to save his friends, track and hunt a huge boar and strive to kill the most feared beasts, the Kalkara.

The plot of this story took many unexpected twists and turns. One moment Will felt that he was doomed to the boring life of a farmhand, and then the next, a vibrant spark of hope was kindled and he realized that he would play a huge role in the safekeeping of his kingdom and those surrounding it. The Ruins of Gorlan is lightning-paced with never a dull moment interfering with the spectacular story line!

I would highly recommend this awesome book, because the author's style of writing is intricate yet quite easy to follow. The character's thoughts are clearly presented with great detail supporting their main ideas. Will is endlessly trying to prove himself to his master and companions, and I know that I can certainly relate to that! I found that I would be thinking identically to Will in most of the situations, and that made the humorous, likable character even more easy to relate to as well. All in all, The Ruins of Gorlan and the rest of the series are some of my favorite books that I have read this summer!