DELTORA QUEST- THE FORESTS OF SILENCE (Book 1) Paperback – January 1, 2000

Some early reader fantasy/quest series can be a little silly and too simple, (I'm thinking Blade's "Beast Quest" series, McMullan's "Dragon Slayer's Academy" series, and maybe even Haberdasher's "Knightley Academy" series). Well, this series tops them all.The premise is straightforward. The companions must find the seven gems that have to be returned to the Belt of Deltora, as this will give them the power to challenge the evil Shadow Lord. So, each volume is centered on the search for a particular gem. This allows for a change of scene in each book, (Forest, Lake of Tears, City of Rats, etc.)The best part is that the companions are pretty well-developed. Noble Hero boy, gutsy Heroine girl, steadfast adult soldier/fighter, various animal companions. The books tend to include cyphers, puzzles, riddles-before-you-cross-the-bridge, and the like, which are classic but also entertaining. And, while there is magic, it isn't the random, out of the blue, "where did that come from?" stuff that is usually necessary to cover bad plotting.Plus, everything seems properly pitched at the right age. Dialogue, plotting, puzzle difficulty, violence, conflict, and so on all fit together. (I'm amazed at how violent some kids books are, or how simply worded some supposed ya books are. It seems that the hardest part is to get all of the ingredients on the same age-appropriate level.)Each book in the series is fairly brief, but that allows for a rise and fall in tension, and a bit of a break, from book/adventure to book/adventure. And the overarching story frame keeps everything organized. For what it's worth, I think you have to read this book one first. Rodda tries to do a little summary prologue in each later book, but this first one really sets out all of the characters, and their histories and their motivations, and informs a lot of the later action.So, just a wonderful distillation of the strongest aspects of quest fantasy, and a very good choice for starting readers.