Reason 1
The first reason why I would recommend this book to someone is because the layout of the chapters in the book make it very easy to get hooked and want to keep reading. The book has 242 pages in it but it also has 32 chapters in it. This means that each chapter is only about 8 pages long. This made it very hard to put the book down and stop reading because just when I thought I was going to quit reading, I would look ahead and realize the next chapter was very short. I would then decide to read just one more chapter, but at the end of every chapter I would come to the same decision and just keep reading. Another way that the layout of the chapters makes it hard to stop reading is that the book is written through the viewpoint of two different people and it alternated every other chapter. So, one chapter you would see what Will was doing, and in the next you would see what Horace was doing. This made me keep reading because I was always excited and everything seemed new through the whole story because I was reading the story of a different character every other chapter. In the end, I read this book in just one Saturday because of the layout of the chapters. I would recommend this book to anyone because of how the layout makes you want to continue reading.
Reason 2
The second reason why I would recommend this book is because all of the characters are very relatable. In the beginning of the book, when Will is talking to the authorities of Castle Redmont, the narrator says “Will stepped forward, nervousness suddenly drying his throat so that his voice came out in barely a whisper” (Flanagan 4). This shows that Will is relatable because he gets nervous in front of authority figures and important people. Pretty much everyone has probably been nervous in front of important people before so it is easy to know how Will is feeling. Halt is also very easy to relate to as he is always putting up with all of Will’s questions in the beginning of the book. Most people at some point in their life have had a younger sibling or friend who is always loud and asking stupid questions all of the time. So, most people know how Halt feels when he always has to answers Will’s pointless questions. Gilan is very relatable as well when it comes to his relationship with Halt, who is his mentor. As just about everyone has had someone who mentored them at some point in their lives, it easy to understand how Gilan feels about Halt. This makes Gilan a relatable character. These are reasons that just three of the characters are easy to relate to, but every character in this book is relatable, which is one reason why I recommend this book to anyone.
Reason 3
The third reason why I would recommend this book is because it is very exciting and because there is always some type of action going on. The action never gets stale because the type of action is always changing. It goes from the action of choosing day, to training as a Ranger, to hunting a wild boar, to killing Kalkara. During the boar hunt excitement is at its peak when the narrator states that “There was no time to fire again. Horace was safe for the moment. Now Will himself was in danger. He sprinted for the shelter of a tree and ducked behind it, just in time” (Flanagan 142). There are many heart pounding moments like this that keep you reading and make you feel like you are right with the characters in the book. Another very exciting moment is when Halt beats up three bullies. Also, the climax of the story, which is the battle with the Kalkara is packed with action and the writing is so descriptive that it made me nervous for the characters. the writing is very descriptive and exciting. Even the most boring parts of the exposition have action in them.All of the excitement and action that is packed into this book is yet another reason that I would recommend this book.
Reason 4
The final reason that I would recommend this book is because it is unpredictable. There are many unexpected plot twists that make the story very interesting. The first plot twist happens when Will breaks into Castle Redmont and is chosen to be Ranger for that exact reason. This was unexpected because usually if someone commits a crime like this they don't get rewarded. conflicting with what is normal Will is rewarded after doing this when he is asked to be a Ranger. Another thing that was unexpected is when the bullies who bullied Horace just randomly decide they are going to beat up Will. This is completely random and is yet another way the author keeps readers interested. A third plot twist is when Will realizes that the Kalkara are actually hunting Halt. This makes the climax of the story a lot more interesting. The final and best plot twist is when Halt reveals to Will that Will’s dad had saved him during the war and that he was the one who left will on the porch of the castle ward when Will was an infant. All of these plot twists make the book unpredictable and are the final reason why I recommend this book.
Ranger’s Apprentice Books. Photograph. Web. n.d. “Ranger’s Apprentice.”
Fremding.Ning.com. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.
Fremding.Ning.com. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.