Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan(Australian author).
This was the most exciting book that I read in the holidays. It was soooo good that I had to read the second book too! If you like fantasy adventure then this could be a great pick for you. There are likeable characters with interesting stories that hook you straight away. The highly descriptive text full of rich vocabulary made it very hard to put this book down.
There are 12 titles in this series - I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
"Will is small for his age, but agile and energetic. All his life, he has dreamed of becoming a great knight like the father he never knew, so he is devastated when he is rejected as an apprentice to Castle Redmont's Battleschool. Instead he is apprenticed to Halt, the mysterious Ranger whose uncanny ability to move unseen is thought to be the result of black magic. Reluctantly, Will learns to use a Ranger's secret weapons: a bow and arrow, a mottled cloak and a stubborn little pony."
Read a sample chapter and find out more about the series on Ranger'sApprentice.com