The Outcasts: Brotherband Chronicles, Book 1

The Outcasts is the first of the BrotherBand series. This series is set in the same universe as the Ranger's Apprentice books. However, it focuses on the lives of the Viking "Skandians". Some of the characters are recognizable from the Ranger's apprentice series. However, they don't play a huge role here. The book starts with a quick trip through history to set up the background of some of the characters. The focus is on Hal, a boy raised by his non-Skandian mother after his Skandian father has died. He is an "outcast" because of his mixed parentage. He also becomes friends with Stig - another boy without a father. (However, while Hal's father had died in battle, Stig's had run away after stealing money.)
Eventually, Hal becomes a leader of a group of Brotherband outcasts. They are the crew of boys that nobody else wants. They compete in the events and take advantage of some planning and tickery to win the competition. (Who didn't know that would happen?) But, they blow it in their reward as an important jewel is stolen. At the end they set out on a quest for redemption, having grown much closer together. They are joined by the one-armed, former town drunk - who was also a great fighter for the day. This ties in some of the fun characters from the Ranger's apprentice world in their own adventure. This one is a fairly standard "outcasts coming of age" story. It sets things up for a fun series.