Dear Garth Nix,

My hero. It was always hard to find a book I liked; even frustrating in some aspects. I would look for hours and hours at the library, sometimes until it closed, wishing for a just the right book that would please me. I searched up and down the shelves picking up a book then quickly placing it back because I disapproved of the cover. Yes, sadly I do judge a book by it’s cover. I don’t know why, but I do. However, one day when I had grown tired of scanning cover after cover, a miracle happened. I had finally found it. It mesmerized me with magnificent shades of green and blue. It seemed almost...magical, different, meant to be. It had a pick-me-up-and-read-me-because-you-will- love-me-and-I-will-change-your-life kind of look. It marked the end of my search, and gave me hope. The man in the middle of the green and blue circles seemed to be looking directly at me. In his eyes I saw a sense of adventure. In my eyes, there was a longing for adventure. The book I had found was your A Confusion of Princes. The cover was not the only thing that amazed me though. The wonders that lay inside it was what made me turn the pages with a twinkle in my eye and a hunger for more. The words I consumed had meaning to them. Hidden behind all that action, there was a lesson, a lesson I understood.

A Confusion of Princes was more than just another book I deemed as perfect. It changed my life, perhaps for the better. It was an extraordinary novel of bravery, confidence, making decisions, character development, sacrifice, and love. The title had the word Confusion in it. The novel was definitely confusing. It took many twists and turns that caused the awakening of my brain. At some points, I read a page a billion times to better understand it. I was forced to actually think; something I never did when reading another book. It was one of a kind. Your book truly changed me because it led me to realize how important decision-making in real life is. Khem was forced to make many difficult decisions like choosing not to kill his sister when she was an obvious threat. One wrong move could make all the difference. Now, I make risky decisions, the kind of decisions that will make a good impact, and always, it is the right decision. Moreover, your novel also reminded me how essential it is to stand up for what is right and what I believe in. I can be the ruler of galaxies, I can be immortal, but it would mean nothing if I did not want to be. I would rather pick being with someone I love, because the small perks of life like that, mean everything to me. Why follow a destiny that has already been written for me when I could write my own, make an impact, change the future? I knew I would never pick up another book like A Confusion of Princes again, and I haven’t.

Another hidden treasure was the key concept of sacrifice. In your novel, Prince Khemri sacrifices his chance to become Emperor, to rule everything, his life, his destiny, and instead becomes a lowly, powerless human. Even though he then lost the Imperial Mind, he gained a much greater reward: love. This triggers my memories from another novel I have recently read, The Giver, by Lois Lowry. In The Giver, Jonas only knows the life of Sameness until he becomes the Receiver. Upon being burdened by this assignment, Jonas learns of the past and makes a very important decision to sacrifice his own life so the community may know what life would be without Sameness. He changed everybody’s lives, forever. I know I do not have to make major sacrifices, like Khem or Jonas, but I do make small sacrifices that matter a great amount. For example, I chose to go to Chicago to see my family and my grandmother who had gone through a major surgery this winter. I did this because to visit them is rare and I should value the love of family. Originally, I would have stayed at home and lazily slept because I hate travelling as much as a child hates homework. However, I made a sacrifice and stepped outside of my cozy little comfort zone to make a delightful appearance in Chicago, even if I did get a little car sick and had to give up my winter break.
Furthermore, throughout the whole novel, there was a change taking place, a small-kind-of-subtle change, but still, a very important change. I noticed how Khem had outstandingly developed from a bratty I'm-all-that child in the beginning to a kind grown man with important values nearing the end. I admire that. It is still the dawn of my life and I am a child that thinks she can take the weight of the world, but later in my future I see myself facing opponents, defeating them, having my own adventures, my personality developing just as Khem’s. In fact, I have already began to change by refraining to do anything inconsiderate, like I would have done a few years back. Even though it is hard to connect to a character like Khem, it’s not impossible. We have one thing in common: our stubbornness. That everlasting stubbornness could transform into something beautiful, something people look up to, the main characteristics of a true leader: bravery and confidence. In your novel, Khem fought off Sad-Eye troops, even though it did lead him to his first death. Khem performed another selfless act too. He was stubborn and confident to save Raine from being stuck in a dead ship. Then he saved her yet again from the invading navy. Everyday, I try my best to succeed in life just as much as Khem tried to save Raine. For example, I am stubborn with writing this letter, expressing myself so freely, brave to add so many sentence fragments, confident that those fragments will be read and possibly get me somewhere. Somewhere in this life that I apparently try so hard to succeed in.

Thank you for writing this magnificent novel that has touched my life in so many different ways. It’s words shall never be forgotten, it’s cover shall never be forgotten, just like the deeds of Khem shall never be forgotten. Now, when I look into Khem’s eyes, I no longer see adventure, for the adventure has already ended. A greater good is left behind in those eyes: satisfaction, peace, pride even? The expression in my eyes has also changed to a raging hunger for more, like a fire that has devoured a whole forest, yet licks away at the ashes, craving more to burn. Every time I look at A Confusion of Princes, at Khem, every time I flip through those ideal pages, I grin and think two words: My hero.