A Warrior’s Soul: Path of the Warrior 1 By SR Staley

• 05/07/2014
• 1 comment

A Warrior’s Soul: Path of the Warrior 1
SR Staley
Wheatmark (2011)
ISBN 9781604945966
Reviewed by Ben Weldon (age 13) for Reader Views (7/11)

“A Warrior’s Soul: Path of the Warrior 1” by SR Staley is the story of thirteen-year-old Luke as he struggles to protect his friends from a dangerous gang.  When Luke discovered that a school gang had broken a kid’s arm and terrorized many others, he knew that he and his friends needed to act.  The teachers didn’t believe that there was a gang on the loose and refused to do anything about it.  But Luke knew the truth.  Can Luke and his friends do something about the gang before someone else is seriously hurt?

Luke had been taking martial arts for two-and-a-half years and was one of the most promising students.  Then he quit.  He was hesitant to use his training.  The bullies and gang members beat him, continued to steal cash and valuables from others, and all the teachers turned a blind eye.  This was a nice school.  Crime didn’t happen here.  If this treatment were to continue, Luke knew that the gang would gradually increase in violence until it maimed or permanently damaged someone.  Only Luke can stop them because only he cares enough and maybe has the skills.  But can he gain enough confidence to use his talents to stop the gang?

The day after Luke had been publicly beaten by the gang, Luke’s best friend Chuck came up with a plan.  He got his hands on a gun and planned to meet the gang and threaten them with it.  Luke knew it was a plan doomed to failure but continued with it anyway.  When the fateful hour finally arrived, the gang had two extra weapons, a gun and a prisoner.  Lucy, another of Luke’s friends, was being held hostage.  Can Luke stop the potential blood bath without serious injury to anyone, and can he save Lucy?

I would recommend this book to people who like stories in which the character must gain the courage to do what is right.  In the book, Luke agonized over this, and I found that I could somewhat relate to him.  The book dealt a lot with standing up to people and doing the right thing.   “A Warrior’s Soul: Path of the Warrior 1” was an inspiring book, and I finished it soon after I started it.