Tuesday, March 12, 2013

The Sword in the Tree

The author Clyde Robert Bulla comes up frequently in children's literature.  He has written tons of books.  I chose this one because we just finished our Middle Ages study:
The book was ... OK.  It was an easy reader and went quickly, but it seemed pretty formulaic.  It is the story of Shan, a young boy.  His father is Lord Weldon; he and his family live in Weldon Castle.  His uncle Lionel returns to Weldon Castle, fakes his father's death, and stages a coup.  Shan and his mother flee the castle and travel to Camelot.  They ask King Arthur for help in ousting his uncle and regaining control of Weldon Castle.

The girls enjoyed it because it includes all the essential props of a Middle Ages story: a castle, knights, a sword, horses, lances, a dungeon, etc.  There is a reasonable amount of adventure and suspense.  I, however, did not like the book as much because it's not very creative. 

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