Bibliographical information:

Flanagan, John. The Icebound Land. 2006. New York: Philomel, 2007. Book 3 of the Ranger's Apprentice.

Brief summary:

Will and Evanlyn have been captured by Skandians and are sailing north toward Skandia. Meanwhile, Halt has been denied permission to come after them. He provokes the King into banishing him from Araluen (mercifully for a year) so that he can keep his promise to search for Will (and for Evanlyn). He is joined in his quest by Horace, and they head northward as well.

Comments:

I stumbled across this series on a book swap shelf, and my ten-year-old is completely hooked on it. Like the first two books in the series, The Icebound Land is well plotted and well written. The characters are appealing, and their interactions are both compelling and (at times) funny. This installment doesn't stand alone, though--it starts in the middle of the adventure and ends with much unresolved. Those interested in the series should start with book 1, The Ruins of Gorlan.

Grade/Age level:

Grades 4-8

Cautions:

Will, Evanlyn, Halt, and Horace encounter some violent people, and their cruel exploits might be disturbing to some children.

If you like this book, you might also like . . .

--Lisa Gordis

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