Ranger's Apprentice

Ranger's Apprentice
by John Flanagan
Puffin, 2005

Summary: At the start of the novel, the reader is introduced to four friends, all of whom are orphans. Each of the friends is assigned an apprenticeship to the major schools of the castle. Will, the main character, is hoping to be apprenticed to become a knight (Battleschool). To his great disappointment, he is denied and instead apprenticed to the Ranger Halt. The novel mostly centers around Will learning the skills of a Ranger and the events leading to the upcoming war with an old enemy of the country Aruluan. A subplot involves Horace, one of the other orphans who has had an ongoing rivalry with Will throughout childhood. Horace must deal with the bullying of some older boys while at the same time keeping up with his performance as a knight in training. The rivalry between Horace and Will is resolved around midway through the book when Will saves Horace’s life during a boar hunt at the risk of his own life. This is a novel of two boys training for war, each in their own way. It’s also a story of finding a friend and of finding one’s place in the world.

Themes: Heroism; bravery; bullying; orphans and self-identity; choosing a career; friendship; apprentice and mentor; mind power; work yields results; good vs. evil; survival

Rationale for Use: Believable adolescent characters and problems, such as bullying and finding one’s place in the world.

Content Area Connections:
Art: based on description provided in the book, draw a picture of the castle
English: Compare the mentor/pupil relationship between Halt and Will to that of Brom and Eragon in Eragon.
Guidance: Write an essay about Horace’s response to the bullies and how you would have responded.
History: Compare the qualities of the Aruluan Rangers to the real-life US Army World War II Rangers.

Possible Problems or Concerns:
Book I is centered around the male friends with little mention of the females. In later books in the series, the female characters will become more noticeable. Until then, females might lack interest in the stories.

~Deborah Spear