Jubilee Reviews Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan

     The Ranger's Apprentice is a 249-page novel about an orphan named Wil. Wil was discovered on the doorstep of Castle Redmont, Fief Redmont's castle. The Baron Arald takes him in, as well as all the other orphans in his Fief, out of the kindness of his heart. The story begins the night before Choosing Day, the day when all of Redmont's orphans who are turning fifteen choose their profession at the castle, with the agreement of the leaders of those professions at the castle. Tragically, when the day comes, all of Wil's friends are picked, but nobody wants him. Wil is destined for a life at the farms, but the mysterious Ranger Halt passes an odd note to Baron Arald. Wil is curious, and the next night, he is determined to discover the contents of that note.

    Ranger's Apprentice is a heartwarming tale of loyalty and friendship, a book halfway between realistic fiction and fantasy. The beginning half details a tale of day-to-day work and a fierce rivalry. The second half features a dashing adventure with ups and downs, chock full of medieval fun. This is a great book for fans of realistic fiction (think My Side of the Mountain) and fantasy (think books by Brandon Mull). The Ranger's Apprentice is an amazing middle-grade novel and will leave you thirsty for more. Luckily, there's a whole series, then sequel series to Ranger's Apprentice, and The Brotherband is in the same world, too. I deeply encourage you to read the amazing Ranger's Apprentice.

    I personally have read all of the Ranger's Apprentice books, and have even bought the ones that the library didn't have. Again, so gripping! I would recommend this book to 11-year olds to 13 or 14-year olds. I am 11 and grasp pretty much all of it, but I think it would be a fun read for young teenagers, also. The Ranger's Apprentice is one of my personal favorites, and I think it could become one of yours, too!

The first book in a great series!

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson 

This book came out in 2013, so I think we owned a signed hardback copy for 8 years before I finally read it. Brandon Sanderson's YA Reckoners series is my favorite of his books, so when 13-year-old Benjamin was rolling his eyes at me for never having read The Rithmatist (also for the YA market), I decided to get my act together. I enjoyed it. It was entertaining, and eventually pretty suspenseful. 

The Rithmatist is the story of our protagonist, Joel, who lives in a steampunk world where the USA is a collection of islands and some people can make chalk pictures come to life.  Joel is spending all his time wishing he had been chosen as one of these special people -- he wants to be a Rithmatist. Pretty soon, however, young Rithmatists start disappearing, apparently attacked by one of their own, a mysterious Rithmatist. Joel inserts himself into the investigation and his summer that looked boring at the outset gets very busy indeed. 

Sanderson did a nice job with this book -- solid characters with various motivations and complex backgrounds, a plot with increasing complexity and pacing that starts slow and speeds up by degrees until you're up late because you can't put it down. I really liked how Joel and Melody's friendship developed, and found it realistic and just a lot of fun to see them go from nothing to having inside jokes. There is some violence in the book: it's a mystery about the disappearance (kidnapping? murder?) of high schoolers. I felt like Sanderson kept it solidly PG-13. Ben McSweeney's illustrations definitely added to the book and made it work. All the chalk pictures and the occasional spot art were anchors for me when otherwise I would have been lost, thinking about this magic system.

Jacob warned me when I was starting it that "Brandon says he regrets setting it up for a sequel" because other books and projects have since filled his time. So I knew going in that it would have some unresolved threads at the end of the book. Knowing that was enough for me, and I'm satisfied with the ending. 

I did sometimes feel the book was a little repetitive. Sanderson really wanted to make sure you knew what was going on. Occasionally I felt the writing condescended a little bit, for the sake of clarity. Like, the bad guy reveals himself and then Joel thinks, in a separate sentence, 'he has to be stopped.' That sort of thing.  That said, I didn't really mind because I was reading it for the entertainment and the enjoyment of the story and the story was, indeed, always clear. 

I'm glad I read this one, and only sorry I waited so long to read it! Recommended.

Exciting New Installment in The Dragonwatch Series!

Alysa here, and I've got a special guest review for you today. My sixth-grade son Benjamin and his best friend Zaya have both read and reviewed the latest Brandon Mull book. Enjoy!

Dragonwatch: Master of the Phantom Isle—Book 3 in Brandon Mull's Dragonwatch series.

This thrilling sequel to Dragonwatch: Wrath of the Dragon King, is packed with action. Seth is desperate to figure out where he fits in in the magical world. Kendra is equally desperate to find her brother, Seth. Kendra's quest to find Seth brings her to a fallen dragon sanctuary. Can Kendra find her brother? Can she and her allies win the perilous war with the dragons? Can Seth resist the darkness that surrounds him? Find out in Dragonwatch: Master of the Phantom Isle.

Zaya: I was excited to read Master of the Phantom Isle. because the book before is a real cliffhanger. I actually think it’s probably one of the best cliffhangers because it really involves the main characters and its resolution could completely affect the plot line. I had to find out what would happen! It was fun to read and It really pulled me in.

Benjamin: Yep! Ditto.

Zaya: When I only had 20 pages left, my older brother stole it from me at school and I was devastated. And super mad. I yelled at him.

9 Scary Books I Survived Reading (And Actually Recommend)!

I'm not really into scary books. I don't watch scary movies.

I was terrified and haunted by a Goosebumps book I read in my childhood, so I steer clear of those, but I can recommend these scary books.

Proven Books for a 13 year old boy: Teen-tested Top Favorites

Updated April 2024

Here on Everead the long-standing most popular post is my list Books for 13 Year Old Boys: Ten Exciting Titles to Keep Him Reading. But, it has been a couple of years since I wrote that post. The good news is that books that were quality a couple of years ago are still quality. Nevertheless, it's time for a new take on the list. For this post I turned to the 13-year-old boys I know personally, and to some friends who have 13-year-old sons. I asked, "What is your favorite book?" Here are their answers.

The next 8 books are top favorites of multiple 13-year-olds I talked to. Most of them are bestselling fantasy or sci-fi series that are popular enough to have been adapted for the screen. Reliable selections, if you're shopping or browsing outside of your own area of expertise.

Dragonwatch -- These are crazy popular. This series isn't complete yet, but it is the latest from Brandon Mull's Fablehaven world. The Fablehaven series is complete with five books, which have the same two protagonists: Seth and Kendra.  When I accepted a review copy for book 2 in the Dragonwatch series, it was instantly snatched up by my son, then passed around his friends. Book 3 was so good he reviewed it himself. Book 4 comes out in October 2020.

Beyonders -- This trilogy by the same author, Brandon Mull, is complete and ready to go. It stars protagonists Jason and Rachel who have both been drawn into a mysterious world ruled by an evil emperor and are looking for a way home. If Dragonwatch and Beyonders aren't enough Brandon Mull for you, check out his Five Kingdoms series or The Candy Shop War and its sequel.

Rick Riordan -- This author is so popular that none of the teens I talked to mentioned any book by name, just all the "books by Rick Riordan." He's currently writing The Trials of Apollo Series, and will complete it with the release of book 5 in September 2020. Rick Riordan has already completed the following series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Heroes of Olympus, The Kane Chronicles, Magnus Chase, and he has contributed to the 39 Clues, a series where bestselling authors each contribute a book. My husband and I read all the Percy Jackson books as they were coming out (ten years ago, now...eep!) and I really appreciated Percy's good humor and can-do attitude. Friendship and family are big themes in the series. 

Alcatraz -- Brandon Sanderson is a favorite in our house. Thirteen-year-olds mentioned the Alcatraz series specifically and also other books by Brandon Sanderson. Alcatraz is his series marketed to middle grades, The Reckoners and The Rithmatist and Skyward are his books marketed to teens. He also has several series marketed for adults. My twelve-year-old who is begging for more Brandon Sanderson has read Sanderson's books for teens and adults, because my husband and I have read them and consider them at a PG-13 level. 

Consider Audiobooks -- If you spend time driving together or cleaning the bathroom needs to become more fun, an audiobook version of these books could be just what you need. Here's a link to Audible Plus, which has a nice free trial.  

Maze Runner -- This series by James Dashner is complete at 5 books. Our protagonist wakes up on his way to The Glade and can't remember anything but his name. Soon, he's surrounded by other boys whose memories are gone, and he becomes one of the few to run the ever-changing maze that keeps them all trapped.

Ready Player One -- Wade Watts is on a hunt for an easter egg, a virtual easter egg that is worth billions of real dollars. Virtual reality becomes all too real when he pulls ahead of the pack and big business feels threatened. I haven't read this version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for the retro video game nerd myself, but people do say it's tough to put down.

Ender's Game -- An oldy but a goody! Originally published in 1985, you know a book has staying power if 13-year-olds are still talking about it in 2018. This book follows Andrew, nicknamed Ender, as he leaves home for the military training school that he was literally born to enter. Ender's Game is the first in a series, but stands alone well.

Alex Rider -- This series is complete at 10 books (and one short story collection). Pegged as a teen-led tribute to James Bond and perfect for those who like Jason Bourne, the Alex Rider books follow Alex, whose uncle and guardian suddenly dies in a very suspicious car crash. Alex knows something isn't right, and soon he's right in the middle of all the danger.

Are the books above too mainstream?

Introducing 5 remarkable books, 

favorites of genuine 13-year-old boys: 

Space Case -- This is the current favorite book of a 13-year-old who was described to me as someone who "Doesn't read. He only reads for school." It is the start of the Moon Base Alpha series by Stuart Gibbs. I haven't read Space Case or the rest of the series, but I did read Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs and remember it being well written. My son also recommends this series and Gibb's Spy School series.

The Wild Robot -- The Wild Robot is the current favorite book of a 13-year-old, and a 15 year old I know mentioned it to me as "a great book" the other day. Lucky for them there is a sequel, The Wild Robot Escapes. This series follows a shipwrecked robot washed up on an island. Roz the robot doesn't know she's out of place, but she is programmed to learn and adapt and that's what she does, eventually learning to survive and thrive in the wild.

Sabotage, The Boys in the Boat, Call It Courage  -- These three are the favorites of a 13-year-old who loves non-fiction. Sabotage: The Mission to Destroy Hitler's Atomic Bomb details the amazing work of Norwegians who not only survived the elements outside of Vemork but also decimated the bomb-building progress there. The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown also touches on defeating Hitler, but in this case it is the US rowing team hopes to defeat Germany at the Berlin Olympics. (The Boys in the Boat comes in a Young Readers Edition as well.) Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry is historical fiction about Maftu, a boy who must face his fear of the ocean and survive the elements on his own. Call It Courage won the Newbery Medal, and is super affordable.

Need more? Here are more recommendations for a 13-year-old boy who likes books to be fast-paced and exciting. 

Here is a list of 7 adventure titles for 13-year-old boys. 

30 Books for the Advanced 4th Grader

Hello! 

As Benjamin finished 4th grade, his teacher sent home a reading log with enough space for 30 books. Benjamin is an advanced reader, and he definitely read more than 30 books this summer. Some of these were re-reads for him, many of them come from series, and a good chunk of them are graphic novels. I hope getting to peek at his reading log is helpful to someone looking for books for their 4th or 5th grader. 

I told Benjamin he ought to do a post for me, and he was enthusiastic at first, but after typing the names of 30 books he decided not to write any comments. Haha! It was a good thing he typed them up, though, because he misplaced his reading log (in typical 10-year-old boy fashion). Since it was typed, we were still able to return the reading log to his teacher (phew!) and he got those 2 free homework passes he was hoping for. 

Benjamin's Summer Reading Log

Hi everyone. This is Benjamin. You may know me from some of my mom's posts. If you don't, click here. I decided to write this post because, why not? I'm a pretty advanced reader, and here are 30 books I read this summer.

Book Covers Link to Amazon!

the one and only ivan by katherine applegate

secret coders paths and portals by gene luen yang

(but read Secret Coders first)

alcatraz smedry VS. the kights of crystallia

( but read Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians (Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians) and The Scrivener's Bones: Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians (Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians) first)

Story Thieves


story thieves the stolen chapters

story thieves secret orgins


Story Thieves: Pick the Plot


Olympians: Ares


Olympians: Hermes


Explorer: The Lost Islands


The Secret Science Alliance


Spirit Animals: Fall of the Beasts book 1

(but read Spirit Animals Series SET , Books 1-7 . 1. Wild Born , #2. Hunted , #3. Blood Ties, #4. Fire and Ice, #5. Against the tide, #6 Rise and Fall, #7. The evertree first)


Spirit Animals: Fall the Beasts book 2

In Real Life


The Keepers book 1


The  Keepers book 2


The True Meaning of Smekday


Princess Academy


5 Worlds: Book 2

(but read 5 Worlds Book 1: The Sand Warrior first)

Darth Paper Strikes Back

(but read Strange Case of Origami Yoda (Origami Yoda 1) first)

Secret of the Fortune Wookie


The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppet


Emperor Pickletine Rides the Bus

(but read Princess Labelmaker to the Rescue! (Origami Yoda 5) first)

Sidekicks by Dan Santat


Dragonwatch


Astronaut Academy: Re-entry


The Amulet of Samarkand


The Phantom Tollbooth


American Born Chinese


Explorer: The Mystery Boxes

Thanks, Benjamin! As I scrolled through my photos to find some pictures of Benjamin reading this summer I noticed that none of the books he's reading in these photos made it onto the reading log. So, if you're curious, they are Crunchby Leslie Connor (my review here), The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: 2 Fuzzy, 2 Furious by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale, and Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson.