The Emperor of Nihon-Ja / John Flanagan / 435 pages

Ahh...the 10th and final volume in John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice series. Great read. Lots of adventure, courage, loyalty, friendship, ingenuity, battle scenes and even a little love. Horace, Will, Evanlyn and Alyss are growing up. This adventure takes place in Japan and the friends must save the benevolent emperor from being deposed and killed. If you ever have a 5th-7th grade boy who hates reading, just hand them Volume 1 of Ranger's Apprentice. Voila! They will gobble them up and ask for more. Girls love them too because the female characters are very strong, independent, smart and wiser than the guys.