Chosen

Chosen is a book by Ted Dekker. It is the first out of six in the Lost Books series.
 
On the other Earth there are seven forests surrounded by desert. The Horde lives in the desert and they are people who used to be forest dwellers but turned into people called scabs by a disease. If you don't bathe in the special lakes of the seven forests everyday you could become a scab. If you don't bathe for one day your skin starts to flake and pain starts in the joints. Miss a second day and your eyes start to gray and the pain get worse. A third bathless day and the disease takes over. Once a scab you fear the water and have no intent of going back to the forests. The Horde wants to destroy the forests.
 
Johnis lives in the middle forest with his dad and sister. His mom was taken by the Horde when she was trying to get part of a catalina cactus to cure Johnis because he was sick. All that was found of her was some blood in the sand and her sandals. Johnis is now chosen to be one of the four new recruits for the Forest Guard. The Forest Guard protects the forests from attacks from the Horde. These new recruits will be special Forest Guards. Johnis doesn't think he's much of a hero but Thomas Hunter, the supreme commander, thinks different. Johnis thinks with his heart. That's exactly what Thomas is looking for. He is sent out on a mission to test the skills and teamwork of him and three others that were chosen.
 
To find out how their mission goes and what the Horde is planning you'll have to read the book.

Blood Red Horse

I recently finished a book called Blood Red Horse. It is the first in the trilogy. I have already read the last two. The second is Green Jasper and the third is Blaze of Silver. I wrote about Blaze of Silver on the bottom post.
 
In Blood Red Horse Will is going to become a knight. He goes to the stud to get a Great Horse he will use on the Crusades. The stud is where Will's father, Sir Thomas, keeps his horses. They are managed by Keeper John. The one that catches Will's eye is a small chestnut stallion. Keeper John told Will that the horse's name was Hosanna and that it will not make a good war horse but he lets him take it anyway and after much training, he and Hosanna become very good friends.
 
 Ellie is kind of like Will's sister. She was taken in by Sir Thomas because her mom died. She loved Hosanna. Will's older brother Gavin thinks differently.
"I thought it was a destrier you were after, Will," Gavin hooted at his brother. "This horse is a midget."
 
"Size isn't everything," said William coldly.
 
They start to prepare for the crusades. To know if the De Granvilles survive the crusade, if Gavin changes his mind about Hosanna, and if Hosanna will be okay during the unexpected turn of events, you'll have to read the book.