Noble Warrior

Gr 9 Up—Recruited by the F.B.I. as an urban warrior, 17-year-old McCutcheon "M.D." Daniels is a martial-arts phenom fighting gang violence in his Detroit hometown. In this sequel to Caged Warrior (Disney-Hyperion, 2014), M.D. is lured out of the Witness Protection Program to infiltrate a prison, and knock off "The High Priest," leader of the Detroit gang responsible for numerous atrocities of domestic terrorism and forcing M.D.'s family into hiding. Disconnected from his girlfriend, Kaitlin, M.D. fears for her safety and accepts the (supposedly) three-day mission at Jentles Penitentiary, (or "D.T" Devil's Toilet), which houses the most notorious felons in Michigan, including M.D.'s own dead-beat father. Once inside, it becomes clear to readers that M.D. has an ulterior motive for wanting "in," and that his mentor, Colonel Stanzer, may have purposely arranged this as a no-return suicide mission for the teenager whose ethics often get in the way of F.B.I. goals. Captive, and at the mercy of his conniving father and crooked guards, M.D. relies on martial arts strategies to stay calm, focused, and alert. Gritty fighting details keep the well-paced drama flowing, and it is suspenseful to the end as obstacles mount for M.D.'s possible escape, and motives of minor characters seem to add up to an ultimate betrayal for the teen. Some raw language and situational violence inherent in urban gang warfare juxtaposes M.D.'s strong moral values, for even more hero appeal.