Carter Roy Libri

Ronan Truelove barely survived his first encounter with his father and the Bend Sinister. Now, he s determined to become one of the Blood Guard, a sword-wielding secret society sworn to protect thirty-six pure souls crucial to the world s survival. Eager to prove he s got what it takes, Ronan is sent on his first mission with his friends Greta and Sammy to visit a weird-sounding school and take a series of tests called the Glass Gauntlet. Paper and pencils and nerdy scholarship where s the life-or-death challenge in that? But the Glass Gauntlet is actually something much more dangerous: head-to-head competitions against ruthless opponents. Nothing and no one are what they seem. Who can he trust, and who will kill him? Ronan has to figure it out fast because his enemies are multiplying, and soon he will have to pass the ultimate test: facing his father again and standing up to those who threaten not only him and his friends but also the world.

When thirteen-year-old Ronan Truelove's seemingly ordinary mom snatches him from school, then sets off on a high speed car chase, Ronan is shocked. His quiet, nerdy dad has been kidnapped? And the kidnappers are after him, too? His mom, he quickly learns, is anything but ordinary. In fact, she's a member of an ancient order of knights, the Blood Guard, a sword-wielding secret society sworn to protect the Pure--thirty-six noble souls whose safety is crucial if the world as we know it is to survive. Now all those after-school activities--gymnastics, judo, survival training--she made him take, make sense. For suddenly Ronan is swept up in a sometimes funny, sometimes scary, but always thrilling adventure--dashing from one danger to the next, using his wits to escape the Bend Sinister, a posse of evil doers with strange powers. Falling in with two unlikely companions, Greta, a scrappy, strong-willed girl he's never much liked and Jack, a devil-may-care teenage pickpocket, Ronan is left with only his wits and his mom's last words of advice: Trust no one. That's a lot for an ordinary kid to deal with. But then again, maybe Ronan's not ordinary at all.

Thirteen-year-old Ronan Truelove is the youngest member of The Blood Guard - an ancient order sworn to protect the Pure, thirty-six truly good souls who will one day be called upon to save the world.

Ronan Stronghearts Leben ist alles andere als normal. Jede Minute seiner Freizeit ist komplett verplant. Er muss fechten, klettern, Karate üben. Noch weiß er nicht, dass seine Mutter zu einer Geheimorganisation gehört, die vorhat, die Welt zu retten. Klammheimlich hat sie ihn ausgebildet, damit er ihr bei dieser gefährlichen Mission helfen kann. Ein riskanter Plan, denn die Gegner sind mächtig und kennen keine Gnade ...

Als der böse Geheimbund Sinistra Negra Ronan, Greta und die anderen Wächter des Lichts in der U-Bahn überfällt und Gretas Mutter entführt, begeben sich Ronan und seine Freunde in höchste Gefahr, um sie zu befreien - doch wie sich herausstellt, hatte es Sinistra Negra die ganze Zeit auf Greta selbst abgesehen! Schließlich hat sie als eine von 39 reinen Seelen die Macht, die Welt aus dem Gleichgewicht zu bringen ...

Bevor Ronan und seine Freundin Greta Wächter des Lichts werden können, müssen sie eine knallharte Ausbildung durchlaufen. Im Haus der superreichen Miss Glass sollen sie gegen andere Jugendliche um den „gläsernen Handschuh“ kämpfen. Schon bald muss Ronan erkennen, dass es dabei um weit mehr geht als um einen Wettstreit. Es geht um Leben und Tod! Doch wer trachtet Ronan nach dem Leben - und warum?