Dit boek is geschreven in basaal Spaans voor Spaanse taalleerders, maar het is een echte historische roman en houdt de aandacht van de lezer stevig vast. Een goed boek! Ik kijk uit naar meer.

“I’ve always been fascinated with stories of secret societies and such and have often come across mentions of the Knights Templar…This story reveals more about the mentality of the people behind the myths by giving insight into both the minds of the Knights Templar on the side of Christianity and to the Muslims with Islam as well…It was especially interesting when the differences began to blur between both sides…My only regret for this one is that the story ran out of words before I wanted to be done with it.” — Jamie L., high school student

“This was a story I would love reading in class. Not only is the story entertaining but it also contains history and culture from many different countries and religions such as the United States, Spain, Muslims, and Christians, which applies to a large amount of people in the world.” — Megan C, high school student

“…[i]t was very interesting and always had action involved in every chapter of the story.” — Lyndsey W., high school student

“I really loved the story Rival. Throughout my years in Spanish classes, I have read a fair share of stories and novel. This one, by far, is my favorite. Incorporating factual history into the plot helped to put the situation into perspective for me, and make the events feel more real. Many aspects of the story are relatable as well as believable… As the plot unfolded, my interest increased with the rising suspense. Ending the novel as you did was incredible.” — Gina, high school student

“Although your story revolved around religion, I surprisingly remained interestedthroughout it. I think the war aspect of it gave it an edge.” — Kelsey A., high school student

“The story of “Rival” taught me a lot about the battle between the Muslims and Christans in Spain. Without this story, I would not understand why the tragedy had happened in 2004…I thought you did an excellent job on writing this topic. I could tell you really put a lot of work into the research for this story.” — Eric J., high school student

“Through my few years of Spanish classes, I have been able to read numerous stories. Out of all of the stories, I believe your story has been the best read so far! The themes, characters, and the plot kept me interested throughout the entire time I read.” –Pavle C., high school student

“My favorite part about your book was that you portrayed the idea that is does not matter what religion a person believes in, we are all human and should be treated equal.” — Katie D., high school student

“This is not a story that I would usually read, but I was surprised by how much I liked it.” — McKenzie D., high school student

“I really liked the plot of the story. It helped me learn more about the conflict that was between Christians and Muslims. I honestly did not really know anything about this conflict, but after reading your book, I feel that I know so much more about why they did not get along.” — Elizabeth G., high school student

“So far, in high school, I have not found a Spanish story that has kept my attention. However, Rival kept me on my toes throughout the story but definitely at the end.” — Raven K., high school students

Wat middelbare-schoolleerlingen over dit boek zeggen:

“Dit verhaal geeft je inzicht in de mentaliteit van zowel de Tempelier-ridders aan de kant van de christenen als de strijders aan de kant van de moslims. Het was vooral interessant toen de verschillen begonnen te vervagen. Het enige wat ik jammer vond is dat het verhaal was afgelopen voordat ik er genoeg van kreeg.” — Jamie L.

“Ik had dit verhaal graag op school gelezen. Het is niet alleen leuk om te lezen maar het geeft ook veel culturele en historische informatie over verschillende landen.” — Megan C.

“Het was heel interessant en in ieder hoofdstuk was weer veel actie.” — Lyndsey W
“Ik vond dit echt een heel mooi verhaal. Ik heb in de jaren dat ik Spaans leer al heel wat boeken gelezen, en deze is verreweg mijn favoriet. De historische informatie in het plot maakt dat ik het beter in perspectief kan plaatsen, en maakt het verhaal geloofwaardiger. [...] Naarmate het plot zich ontvouwde werd het steeds spannender en werd ik steeds meer het verhaal ingetrokken. En wat een geweldig einde!” — Gina

“Ik heb door dit boek veel geleerd over de strijd tussen moslims en christenen in Spanje, en daardoor begrijp ik beter wat er in 2004 is gebeurd. Ik vond dat je er erg goed over hebt geschreven, en ik kon zien dat je veel research hebt gedaan voor dit verhaal.” — Eric J.

“Ik heb al veel verhalen gelezen voor Spaans, en ik geloof dat dit verhaal tot nu toe echt de beste was. Het thema, de personages en het plot hielden de hele tijd mijn aandacht vast.” –Pavle C.

“Tot nu toe heb ik voor Spaans nog geen een boek gelezen dat me kon boeien. Maar bij Rival zat ik de hele tijd, en vooral aan het einde, op het puntje van mijn stoel.” — Raven K.