Brotherband Chronicles (Book 1) The Outcasts by John Flanagan, author of Ranger’s Apprentice

Rating: Needs Parent Supervision

Reading Level: Middle School

• Alcoholism & pessimistic about sobriety. People warn a boy that even though his friend has been sober for 6 years, a drunk always go back to the bottle.
• Losing a parent in war.
• Norse-ish gods (Gorlog’s beard, Loki-ish, a goddess of the dead.)
• Peril. Sword fights, ax fights, murders, fist fights.
• Romance. A girl wraps her arms around a boy’s neck and kisses him.
• Bullying. Kids get in fistfights, threaten and jab at each other’s status (one kid’s dad was a gambler and a thief, his mom washes clothes for a living, kids make fun of a mixed-race kid….)

Consider reading The Ranger’s Apprentice first. Here are links to my reviews of Book 1, Book 2, Book 3, Book 4, Book 5, Book 6, Book 7, Book 8, Book 9, Book 10, and Book 11 in the Ranger’s Apprentice series. Pay attention to concerns in Book 3 and Book 8.