Tournament at Gorlan

Tournament at Gorlan by John Flanagan, 364 pages

This is the first in a new series by Flanagan.  The series takes place before the events of the first Ranger's Apprentice series, when Halt was young.  This is called The Early Years.  Halt and Crowley have teamed up after discovering that one of the Barons, Morgarath, is holding the king and the prince prisoner.  Although they are unsure what his plan is, they suspect he plans to somehow take over the kingdom himself.  He has disbanded the real King's Rangers and has replaced them with incompetent fools posing as Rangers.  Halt and Crowley intend to stop him and together hatch a plan to stop him.  Full of action and humor this book is just as satisfying as every other book Flanagan has written.  I would highly recommend it to teens who like stories about fantasy, adventure, relationships, or humor.  These books have pretty wide appeal.