Noble Warrior

by Alan Sitomer

After placing teenage mixed martial arts phenom McCutcheon Daniels and his mother and sister in the Witness Relocation Program,the FBI comes to realize they have a unique asset on their hands. Recruited to help the FBI, McCutcheon finds himself hunting bad guys. But when he discovers that the notorious Priests have targeted Kaitlyn-the girl he loves and was forced to leave behind-as a way to seek revenge on the Daniels family, MD convinces the FBI to send him right into the belly of the beast: Jenkells State Penitentiary where the mob boss of Detroit is serving time. Yet in his universe where up is down, McCutcheon ends up disavowed by the government and left to rot in one of America's most notorious prisons. It's there here connects with his father and discovers the truth about his circumstances. McCutcheon, a trained urban warrior, escapes and sets out for revenge on those who betrayed him and his family.

Genres: Sports, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult

400 pages, Hardcover

First published July 21, 2015

About the author

Alan Lawrence Sitomer is a California Teacher of the Year award winner and the founder of The Writer’s Success Academy. In addition to having been an inner-city high school English teacher and former professor in the Graduate School Of Education at Loyola Marymount University, Mr. Sitomer is a nationally renowned keynote speaker who specializes in engaging underperforming students. To date, Mr. Sitomer has authored 16 books with works ranging from hard-hitting YA novels like CAGED WARRIOR, HOMEBOYZ, THE HOOPSTER and HIP-HOP HIGH SCHOOL to humorous and warm children’s picture books such as DADDIES DO IT DIFFERENT and DADDY’S ZIGZAGGING BEDTIME STORY. Alan lives in Los Angeles where he just finished writing the movie script adaptation for his novel CAGED WARRIOR.

Reviews

[Alan Sitomer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am VERY proud of McCutcheon Daniels and high-octane journey he takes in NOBLE WARRIOR. The feedback from kids - particularly boy readers - has been great. Happy reading!

[Mason G]

We were finally given the chance to get out of that awful city, and we ran with it! McCutcheon Daniels, a martial artists phenom is the best underground fighter in Michigan but when a gang called the Priests bet big money on him and he loses his perfect record in order to prove his father wrong he has a whole lot of explaining to do. The US government will take him and his family out of the projects of Detroit and move them to a secure location so that the gang will not be able to find them. I think this book would be a good read for anyone who enjoys action packed books. I enjoyed this book and would be totally in favor of anyone else who would be interested.

[Taylor Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noble Warrior, by alan sitomer was a very good book. It had almost everything I really wanted M.D was definitly my favorite Character he was very chill and knew how to not show anything just like a warrior should. M.D always helped his sister and tried his best to do the greater good for other. I wish the priests would just leave at the beginging because they where really just a bug it is always one thing after another with them. I definitly love the pace of the novel just because it gave me at least a little time to process. If you have trouble finding a good book I would definitly read this book. But you have to have someone what of a brain to understand what all is going on right away. But most of it is mostly self explanitory.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Sitomer's first book, Caged Warrior, and didn't really see the need for a sequel but, well, here one is. This is a little bit more like Zadoff's Boy Nobody series, only with MMA rather than exciting technology. Sending a teen, even one like MD, into a prison seems excessive, and what happens there didn't ratchet up the tension it just saddened me about how MD was going to have to compromise who he was to survive. That, along with the double and triple crossing, lost stars.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful follow-up to Caged Warrior. Was great to get to spend more time seeing what happened to this character next. Intense, graphic, multi-layered...a gritty story to share with your guy readers for sure.

[Andres · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the best if not the best book I've ever read, it’s about a teenager leaning towards the older end of the teen years named McCutcheon Daniels who is getting involved with crooked cops, gang leaders, and anything else you could imagine. MD (McCutcheon Daniels) is the main character of the book but the other also very important characters are his little sister Gemma or Gem for short whom he loves more than anyone and would do anything for her. Other characters are Demon Daniels MD's dad who MD has a lot of bad blood with. MD runs into many problems throughout the story but he is a conqueror and overcomes every last one of them, for example MD is put into a situation where he has to choose between killing or being killed;he loves to bring justice but doesn't want blood on his hands. MD is personally my favorite character of the book because he is a "Bad Ass" as one of the characters calls him in the book, he simply overcomes everything that's thrown at him, he even takes out a man in hand to hand combat that has at least 200 pounds of muscle on him. I personally relate to MD because he went through some tough challenges and everyone goes through challenges like that too, maybe not as extreme as his but similar. I also relate to him because i like to box and he does MMA which has some similarities. I haven’t done most of the things MD has in his life especially at the age he is but i have faced similar challenges as he did. I loved this book just as much as i loved the first one because it was filled with action and adventure but also had soft tender “pull on your heart strings” parts that hit close to home. My favorite part of the book was the ending because of all the action and suspension that took place and the peaceful resolution calmed me. My least favorite part was when MD got stuck in prison because he didn’t deserve to be there. The author used descriptive imagery very well, i could picture everything in my head clearly. There wasn’t much that the author didn’t do well as far as i could tell because i was interested in the book every time i read it. I would highly recommend this book to any one of my friends because it really relates to people who live and face many tough challenges every day. This book also helps people understand the poverty in different cities and how it differs from their life. I would recommend this book specifically to teenage boys because they can relate to it the most.

[Devan Koput · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Noble Warrior is a very fun and mouth dropping at points. Its about this kid named M.D. would use to be an underground cage fighter. The group he use to fight for was the called the Priests and they were stopped. So after that this agency recruits M.D who is only 17 busts people without any lethal methods. M.D is put into the Witness Protection Program because the group he fought for is after him and his family. So he is moved to a new city and changed his named. But soon he finds out the city he left has a small group after his "girlfriend" and his dad. So he has to make the choice to go save them and chance ruining his new identity. What I liked about the story is that its keeps you guessing and there are jokes always being cracked. I laughed almost every page in this book. When I read this book it grabbed my attention and I wanted to keep reading it and that never happens to. There really isn't much that i disliked about the book other than sometimes when they give a new character they don't always give you the name right away and would get kind of confusing. I would give this book a solid 4 out of 5 stars because it is a very fun, interesting book, but sometimes there were some boring and slow spots. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did when I read it. It will grab your attention the second you start reading it.

[Dai Guerra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Noble Warrior tells the story of a young man who got put into the witness protection program when tension between him and neighborhood gangs got high. During his time in the witness protection program, the government gets a view at his past and becomes interested in using him as a tool for the government. Using his past against him M.D. is convinced to go to prison to complete a mission for the people in charge of him. Once his mission is completed at the prison the government officials abandon M.D. and he has to figure out what his next steps are and how he is going to make others pay for what had been done to his family.

It actually wasn't until after I finished reading this book and was posting my review on Goodreads that I found out that this book was part of a series. So something else I felt needed to be pointed out in my review is that this book can be read without having read caged warrior. I think it is a great stand alone book but if you want more background on the character I do suggest you read caged warrior before diving into this book.

[Giovanni]

Over the break I read noble warrior by Alan lawrence Sitomer and i like it. This book was great because i love all the action and blood that is shed in it but i do not like when it gets way to graphic for example there is this part in the book where there are 2 friends with the main character and they get their throats slit and they body is all cut up and bruised.I feel that the book was very great and nice but the only thing that i do not like about it is that at the beginning of the book it gets very boring because it is just background information that I already know and i just want the action that the fist book had because that is what I liked all the action and him trying to live and help his sister.I think that the people that should read this book is people that are into violence and like mixed martial arts and love it when there are guns, fighting, and killing and there are somethings that just can't be explained. then this book is perfect for you and you will love it and it will be your favorite book.

[Luke Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was so interesting. It had action ,adventure and everything you needed to keep you concentrated on the story. It was focused on the theme of a misfortuned and misguided teen named McCutcheon Daniels and the story of him as a young adult. He was great at fighting which had positive and negative outcomes. It gets him out of problems and drags him into them.

It was a great book that related me to my past of boxing and one of my favorite hobbies. When I was young my dad used to teach me how to box but then we had a fall out and again and again I kept relating the story to myself which is the only way to keep my attention on a book. So, all in all id give this book a four star rating due to the fact that it just wasn't as good as the previous one but it is most definitely going to have to be on your someday list

[Ethan Wynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noble Warrior was a great and exciting read that left me wanting to not put the book down. This book is part of a series but works great as a standalone as I personally was invested in it even though not reading the first book. Our protagonist McCutcheon Daniels is a young martial arts master who provides for his family by participating in underground cage fighting. After losing his perfect record just to prove his father wrong, the FBI takes a keen liking to him. Now for protection from the FBI and money, McCutcheon must take on a mission that sends him after the High Priest. Figuring out it was a trap now he must fight his way out. The book is great for young adults especially to the boys with the foul language and martial arts fights. I’m now looking forward to reading the first book.

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Noble Warrior is a great story that mixes in good life lessons and action on almost every page. Never was there a time I got bored while reading this story, there were no dull moments and the plot kept developing throughout the story. There were many unexpected events that made me not want to put this book down knowing anything could happen on any page. Overall this is a really good book if you want something that you won't want to put down

[Matt Schendl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that this was a great book. I love the first book of the series which was Caged Warrior. This sequel really lived up to itself. Lots of twists and turns that throw you off which made me just want to keepm reading and reading. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read something with suspense and great twist.

[Marcus Daguison · Rating 4 out of 5]

McCutcheon is a very skillful person, very young and strong and emotion to himself sometimes. He always want to do what is right. Until he got a mission. He heard his girl was in danger, McCutcheon would do anything for her. McCutcheon took this mission. After surviving this mission that was a faulty, he began to have revenge.

[Jude M.]

This book is very good, one of my favorite characters has to be the main character. He is very adventurous and likes to do good. My favorite event in the book has to be the fight between the main character and a twisted cop. The writing style and pacing of the novel made it a very good entertaining read. Connections to real life include, not everyone who seems good on the surface is.

[Brian Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best sequel books you can read. It had me keep reading more and more just to figure out what was going to happen next. This is one of the best books I've read and i high recommend this one and the first book caged warrior.

[Michael Marki · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Noble Warrior by Alan Sitomer, a young Martial Artist named McCutcheon Daniels and his mother and sister grew up without a supporting father. McCutcheon had to provide for his family which was by Cage Fighting in Detroit. Later he would go on to be put in the Witness Relocation Program, then the FBI realized McCutcheon was special. So now he goes onto missions to hunt criminals and earn him and agents money which rewards McCutcheon by being protected by the FBI. Then he has to go on a mission to Jentles State Penitentiary to find and eliminate the High Priest and find his father. While he is there he figures out that he had been setup to go there and now he is stuck there. Then he finds a way out of the prison and gets revenge on those who betrayed him and his family.

[Ivan Prado · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly it was a very huge change of pace for the character and i believe he has went through so many major changes and hes maturing as he goes. I managed to increase the number of pages read by 45 pages and i used to read the last book by 25 pages a day.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Violent, R rated language, and I know some of my 8th grade boys will not be able to put this down. Okay as a stand-alone, but makes more sense if you read Caged Warrior first

[Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that will want to make you read it more and more its a really good book if you are into action books and stuff like that you should definitely read it.

[Franky West · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a good read. Lots of cool and fun twists. I gave it 4 starts though cause I didn’t love the ending.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt that this was not nearly as good as the first book.

My students wanted to have it in the list...

[Chapter by Chapter · Rating 3 out of 5]

As somebody who only read the description for author Alan Lawrence Sitomer’s Noble Warrior, I was pretty intrigued. The premise sounded like Prison Break with a teenager and a lot more mixed martial arts. As somebody who has been practicing MMA for almost six years, I was hyped up to get reading a novel about a badass teen who will kick some serious ass. What I didn’t know was that Noble Warrior was a sequel (oops) but rest assured to anyone who reads this review and is interested in skipping Caged Warrior—you can definitely read Noble Warrior as a stand-alone.

In Noble Warrior our main character McCutcheon Daniels has been placed in the Witness Security Program alongside his once-absent mother and the light of his life, his younger sister. McCutcheon has dedicated his entire life to supporting his younger sister and giving her everything that she needs. Upon entering the Witness Security Program, M.D. has given up the girl he loves and the life he had as an underground fighter. Newly recruited into the F.B.I. as a unique soldier, McCutcheon begins tracking down the ‘bad guys’ and performing top secret missions within the Bureau.

However when he finds out that in his hometown of Detroit that the city’s reigning criminal organization—the Priests—have McCutcheon’s girl, Kaitlyn, he’s made a deal: Enter the Jentles State Prison where the Priests’ boss is being detained and take him out, and his girl goes free. What once seemed like a simple mission is proven to be far more heinous and secretive than M.D. could even begin to imagine. And within the prison, McCutcheon is reunited with his father. The man who he’s despised for his unfair treatment of both himself and his sister. Now trapped within a prison that threatens to devour him, McCutcheon begins to plot his escape.

What I enjoyed most about Noble Warrior was most likely the writing style. It was very fluent and consistent and made it easy to tap into McCutcheon’s brain and determine the setting through his eyes. McCutcheon himself is a very unique character. He’s your typical overprotective big brother, sure, but he’s also a total badass. And unlike most badass hotties in the YA-verse, McCutcheon would never dream of sacrificing the people closest to him for love or anything of the like. He’s a very complex character and one who is without question one of the ‘good’ guys. I loved him. And I imagined that he was particularly muscular… Always an additional bonus, you know?

Throughout Noble Warrior there is constant action and plot twists. Whenever the narrative begins to reach a lull, you can quickly find the novel snapping back to its previous fast pace. Personally, I wasn’t the greatest fan of the curved pacing in Noble Warrior, but there is no denying that the story itself is very original and action-packed. The way that Noble Warrior is written and the way it flows makes me wish that I had read Caged Warrior in order to see just what it is that McCutcheon went through before this novel.

The realism in Noble Warrior is a bit questionable, but it is fiction and is definitely the kind of novel that could be placed on par with the likes of Sin City. There is no ignoring the fact that Noble Warrior is placed in a dark world with crude intentions. Readers question both their morality and McCutcheon’s own when he’s faced with possibly breaking his ‘no killing’ rule. My only real issue with the novel would be the constant reaffirmation that McCutcheon is a warrior. If I had a dime for each time it was reiterated, I’d probably have a bill in my wallet.

I would recommend Noble Warrior to any readers who are looking for (as stated above) a novel that is all about action. I think that plenty of male readers will fall in love with this novel as it’s thick with testosterone. Any readers who are looking for a tale filled with betrayal, thrills, and mystery should also give Noble Warrior a go.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this gritty sequel to Caged Warrior, McCutcheon Daniels (M.D.) and his family are in the Witness Protection Program in Nebraska and M.D. has been recruited by the F.B.I. to take part in a covert teenage soldier operation to help take down domestic terrorists. M.D.’s personal fighting philosophy aligns with the philosophy of his new assignment: duty, honor, service, a higher calling. Everything is turned upside down when M.D. is contacted by Puwolsky, a member of the Detroit Police Elite Response Squad. Puwolsky wants M.D. to take down D’Marcus Rose, the leader of Detroit’s worst gang, The Priests. Rose is serving time in Jentles State Prison, otherwise known as The Toilet, and Puwolsky wants M.D. to voluntarily enter prison in order to kill Rose. If M.D. refuses, The Priests will capture M.D.’s ex-girlfriend, Kaitlyn, and M.D. doesn’t want to think about what they will do to her. In spite of objections from his F.B.I. colonel, Stanzer, as well as objections from his conscience, M.D. agrees. Before too long, M.D. realizes that he’s been set up and hung out to dry. Surviving prison is now his only option.

M.D. is a very likeable character whose keen mind and admirable honor code sustain him even in the most unimaginably horrible moments in prison…and there are many. Sitomer doesn’t sugarcoat the prison experience, so readers beware: violence, sexual violence, and language permeate this story. The one major hole in the plot is M.D.’s unquestioning acceptance that Kaitlyn is in danger. He takes Puwolsky’s word for everything instead of doing some fact checking first, which is obviously a mistake in hindsight. The ending left me wondering if there will be a third book, but this book can stand alone, with or without reading the first book or any future books in the series. Recommended for gr. 10-12.

[Jessica Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I received an ARC of this book from a blogger friend. Thanks, Jen! :D



Noble Warrior was a gritty, fast-paced read that kept me turning pages into the wee hours of the morning. (Fights! Bang! Boom! Mean people! Everybody fend for themselves! Jerk faces galore!!! MOAR fighting! Liars! BIG FIGHT!) I had no idea until about halfway through Noble Warrior that it was book two in a series! Nevertheless, book one wasn't really needed to read NW, as Mr. Sitomer tied everything together well with quick explanations here and there—there was never long backstory or anything.



As for the premise of Noble Warrior, the blurb pretty much explains it all. What you don’t expect, however, is 1) how graphic it’ll be and 2) how much you’re going to continually question everything. I was never completely sure who was actually on Daniels’ side up to the very end! So many characters turned out to be different people than I thought they were! The constant back and forth is one of the things that kept me turning the pages. I loved that about NW. I *had* to know what was going to happen next.

Speaking of what was going to happen, the ending surprised me. I don’t want to say anymore than that, because spoilers, but man, that one turn kinda made me sad. Was it a set up for book three? Yeah. But still. :(

(Am I going to read the next book? Heck yes.)

If you like vivid descriptions, martial arts, frank talk between guys, and enjoy reading about gang and FBI politics, OR are looking for something different and bold, I highly recommend Noble Warrior.*

*Though the MC was of normal YA character age, due to graphic violence, crude language, and sexual references, I’d say Noble Warrior is most definitely for *mature* YA audiences only.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

McCutcheon Daniels has led an interesting life to be so young. His father was less than scrupulous. Too self-involved and concerned about his own addictions to care about raising a family. The only thing McCutcheon's father ever did for or to him was teach him to fight, and McCutcheon was good at street fighting. Deadly, in fact. Win after win in the streets moved him up the fighting echelon, gave his father the money, power and drugs he desired, but also put a target on McCutcheon's back. Street fighting leads to more violence, which ultimately ends with his family in witness protection in the middle of nowhere and McCutcheon working as a secret weapon for the US government. The one thing that keeps McCutcheon Daniels balanced through all of the violence and chaos is his own sense of self, his sense of being more than fists and fight, his desire to always show nobility and honor no matter the situation. Even this will be put to the test when McCutcheon is asked to infiltration one of our nation's deadliest and most hopeless prison systems and act as assassin to take down a major player from his past. Sitomer delivers gritty action paired with a character the reader will grow to care deeply about. McCutcheon Daniels isn't just a great fighter, a violent weapon. He is also an older brother, the son of broken parents, a boy in love with a girl, and a young man with morals lifting him to higher ground than many of the adults in his life. This novel will appeal to young adult males looking for violence and blood, but will teach those same young men a lesson about morality and choosing to rise above a bad situation and find stability in quicksand. Recommended for high school.

[Elijah Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

really good would recommend

[Heather Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This graphic and hard-hitting sequel to Caged Warrior finds McCutcheon Daniels acting as a unique asset for the FBI, hunting bad guys hiding out in US cities. When M.D. hears that his own father is selling out M.D.'s ex-girlfriend to save his own life, M.D. happily gets himself recruited to a different team in order to save her. M.D. must survive Jentles State Penitentiary. Once inside, he finds that all is not as it seems: M.D. and his family have been set up and only he can beat his way out of prison and save them all.
Graphic Violence, profanity, sexual references-- NOT suitable for most middle grade kids
Not really my thing, though it is well written and will be loved by many teen boys.

[Paul Bae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a sequel to the first book Caged Warrior. I really enjoyed the first book but I felt that this started off very slow. The main character is was a fighter in the first book but in this story he becomes a underage soilder for a secret organization. Throughout the book, things become more interesting. The main character gets sent to prison and I felt that from then the story became more easier to read. There were a lot of plot twists that hooked me to finish the book. I would recommend this book to teens who enjoy a book with a lot of fighting and action.

[Rossana Snee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another hit by an excellent author. I love this sequel to Caged Warrior. I am hoping for a third novel!!! I'm waiting. This sequel is just as well written and continues M.D.'s life. It has quite a few stressful moments, but the book demands you continue reading. I am not a fan of fight books, but I highly recommend this one. The author does an incredible job of getting into M.D's mind, which is actually his strongest weapon. Read it!