In the walled community of Freestone, coming-of-age citizens are chosen to become members of one of the Guilds. The Adventurers Guild is seldom a choice and usually gets new members through drafting from other Guilds' choices. When Zed, who is half elf and is initially chosen as a Sorcerer, gets drafted, his best friend Brock, chosen to be a Merchant, volunteers so Zed will not be alone. Charged with defending the city from the monsters outside the wall, members of The Adventurers Guild tend to die young.

Filled with adventure, really creepy monsters, corruption, elves, dwarves and magic this is a wonderful addition to middle grade fantasy books. I really enjoyed The Adventurers Guild and can't wait to see what comes in the next book. Great collaboration Clark and Eliopulos!!!

During the day of being chosen for a guild-- or really, the day that the direction of the rest of your life is chosen for you, emotions run a muck. There is fear, excitement, happiness, disappointment and expectation. For Zed and Brock, best friends, their hopes for each other are the Mage and Merchant guilds. For Brock, it seems like a sure thing that he will be invited into the Merchant guild simply because it is the guild of his parents. Zed, well, his hopes lie with the dream of working with magic... and his half-elf blood.

When the two boys are chosen for their prospective guilds joy surrounds them--until it is the turn of the Adventurers guild master to choose her recruits. Generally once someone has been recruited into a guild they cannot be recruited for another--except for if a draft is called by the Adventurers guild. They can bend the rules.

Zed is called. And Brock volunteers. And with those few moments their lives are changed. But maybe it is for the better because something isn't right in the city and maybe, just maybe, they are just what the city needs for protection.

For the majority of the book Zed's character annoyed me. He had moments of greatness but it was a stark contrast by how goofy and immature he could act in the next moment. But he really does grow into himself by the end.

I am excited to see how this series shapes out!

I truly enjoyed this book. Sometimes I have to force myself to read middle grade fiction for the sake of my students, but this one had characters and a story line that sucked me in. Full review on Goodreads.com.

In the city of Freestone, one of the last surviving cities, youngsters are chosen to become apprentices for the various guilds. Zed hopes to be chosen by the mages and his friend Brock seems destined to be a merchant. But all their plans are upended when they wind up in the Adventurers Guild. It's not as prestigious as the other guilds in terms of power or money, but it is vitally necessary. They are the ones who travel to places outside the city walls and bring back useful items, or help to keep contact with the allied city of Llethanyl. But there are Dangers outside the walls - monsters and creatures that have skills or even magical powers of their own to capture anyone foolish enough to venture out of the city's protective wards. The boys, along with their dwarf friend Jett and a girl named Liza, become apprentices and learn about what it takes to keep the city safe.

Their story reveals bits of the history of Freestone and the land of Terryn, and also quite a bit about the politics and shady dealing that can go on when those with money and influence feel that the rules don't apply. We also learn a lot about the various young adventurers - how Zed could be a half-elf when the elves all live in Llethanyl, why Brock used to sneak out of his quiet house in the merchant district and play in the streets with Zed and Jett, and why Liza wanted to be an adventurer. We watch as they learn to work as a team, complete their first mission, and face dangers together. And just as we think everything may end on a happy note, more bad news arrives to keep us guessing until the next book is released.

Recommended for fans of fantasy (swords and sorcery), adventure stories with a group of friends at the center, and plenty of action, intrigue, and humor.

I need the next one!! The story might not be the most original, but the writing and characters are. Please give this book a chance. I think you will agree it stands out against others in its genre.

An exciting and engaging fantasy adventure series that, despite drawing on familiar themes of the genre, stands out as one to add to your “Must Keep Buying This Series” list (which isn’t an easy feat these days, given how crowded the multi-novel YA series market has become). The Disney Book Group continues to demonstrate they have an eye for engaging and accessible middle grade fiction that is bound to excite adventure-loving readers, they certainly selected a winner in this case.

This was a very cool and fun read! The world building was well paced, and once the action started, it just kept going. This is a book that I will definitely be telling the kids about.

The story is told in dual perspective. Zed is a half-elf who just wants to be a mage, and the other perspective is Brock, the son of well to do merchants, who wants to be a merchant. Brock and Zed are best friends who end up not getting into the guilds they want, but at least they are facing their adventures together, along with a couple of new friends.

I requested this as the description gave me a Harry Potter-ish type feel. I'm glad I did. 'I had my 6-year-old son read this with me, and he was able to get through it fairly well - which is great.
Within the first few pages, I found myself needing, and wanting at least 100 books in this series! (well, maybe not thaaaaaaat many, but you get my drift). I hope to see a few more of these floating around.
It's a really easy read, but it's done SO well.
It's suspenseful and fun and exciting, interesting...the list goes on. Right off the bat, I absolutely love the friendship that the group of "children" have. I haven't seen anything like that in awhile. They respect each other and communicate feelings which is fantastic to see - and a great lesson for those that read it. I can think of quite a few other stories where one friend is withdrawn and rude etc.
The guild system was a little hard for me to follow, but I can't deal with any complexity whatsoever, so that's totally on me.
A fantastically well-written book. I can see this being another big series - and I hope a movie will come out of it someday. It gets my approval and I can't wait to read the next book!

Clark, Zack Loran and Nick Eliopulos The Adventurers Guild, 320 pages. Disney, OCTOBER 2017. $17. Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (similar to Brandon Mull or Rick Riordan books).

Zed thinks he has a chance to join the Silverglows, the Mages Guild in his hometown of Freestone. When the Archmagus claims him for that group, he feels like his dreams have come true. A few moments later, his hopes are crushed when the Sea of Stars, the Adventurers Guild, invokes their right of draft and takes him instead. Right behind him, his best friend, Brock volunteers for the Adventurers – supposedly to help keep Zed safe. What Zed doesn’t know is that Brock has an ulterior motive for joining him – he has been secretly asked by the Merchant’s Guild to infiltrate the Sea of Stars and find a way to bring down its leader, Alabasel Frond. From their first night, the boys are in constant danger, as the Adventurers are the only beings allowed outside the tall, strong, city walls because of the inhuman Dangers that have taken down all life in the entire country except for the few cities that survived.

Wow! I loved this so much! I think we may have another hit fantasy series on our hands! The authors combine engaging plot, with action, introspection, and world-building to make a novel that is sure to attract attention quickly.

EL, MS – ESSENTIAL. Cindy, Library Teacher

Unique, fun and quirky! There have been so many lacklustre middle-grade offerings lately that it's great to see one enter the marked with a bang. Fun and friendly characters, witty dialogue and fast-paced action. There wasn't a lot not to enjoy.

This book was fantastic! Great cover too. Fun, exciting and fast-paced, this will be a hit with any Harry Potter fan. It reminds me a bit of Lord of the Rings for a younger audience. I'm assuming there will be a book 2 eventually. Definitely looking forward to that. Great, fun book! Will definitely purchase this for my elementary library.