Joust of Honor (Knight's Story)

From School Library Journal Grade 3-6–In this series by the creators of The Edge Chronicles, an unnamed knight journeys through a generic medieval-fantasy countryside with his sturdy horse, Jed. In this second volume, they enter a tournament held at the castle of shifty-looking Duke Wolfhound. Free Lance wins his first jousts, and he feels he has a chance to win–until the duke offers him a sack full of gold to throw the final joust and lose to the duke's loutish henchman. Immediately afterward, the duke's beautiful niece begs the knight not to throw the match, because if he does, her uncle will force her to marry the henchman. The knight finds himself in a dilemma–and more tricks and betrayals lie ahead. The prose, and the story, are unchallenging, but will be popular with middle-grade readers–or middle-school marginal readers–who want an easy read with lots of fast-moving battles and action. The book is filled with Riddell's comic-book-style line drawings that instantly distinguish the good guys from the bad.