Have Sword, Will Travel by Garth Nix (review)

Out hunting one afternoon, young Odo finds a sword in the muck, a sword that promptly starts talking, dubs Odo a knight, and demands to be taken on a heroic quest. Homebody Odo is none too keen on this adventuring, but his friend Eleanor is stoked—however, she's a little disappointed when the sword merely names her a squire, striking a blow to her dreams of becoming a great knight like her mother. Their village does need saving, though, as the river is drying up and rumors of an evil force in the north are spreading. Off the two kids go along with the loquacious sword to put things to right, meeting greedy mole-like creatures, an ethereal monk, another talking sword, and a group of bandits along the way. It all makes for a entertaining reading adventure, with the action starting early and never ceasing and sardonic interjections provided up by the sword (whose voice is denoted by a font change); Odo and Eleanor make the perfect heroes, clever, brave, and occasionally bumbling. The ending leans a bit dark as it sees them matured by some of the violence they've seen, but they remain steadfast in their responsibilities as knights (yes, Eleanor finally earns the title) and set off to defeat an evil king in the book's final pages, so a sequel seems likely.