Action adventure & the meaning of life for young teens

Davina Morgan-Witts, BookBrowse editor

We've just finished reading Noman the third volume in William Nicholson's Noble Warriors series, which started with Seeker (2006), then came Jango (2007) and lastly Noman (2008).

What a great series! Seeker explores familiar territory: Boy consigned to boring life seeks adventure, discovers that he's the chosen one who's destined to save his world from imminent destruction, meets traveling companions and sets off on quest - but, as we all know, it's not what you tell, but how you tell it that matters - and Nicholson tells a powerfully good story.

The plot deepens in Jango and builds to a world shattering battle of Good vs. Evil in Noman, exploring some very profound avenues on the meaning of faith along the way.

The four of us (aged 11 when we started the series 3 years ago, to 40-something) read the books together at our morning 'reading parties' (20 minutes we carve out of the morning to read aloud to the children before the school-day starts). The morning reads need to be action-rich to wake everyone up, and the Noble Warriors series was just the ticket.