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Come to the Castle: A Visit to the Castle in Thirteenth-Century England

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by Linda Ashman; illuminated by S. D. Schindler
New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2009. Unpaged. Juvenile nonfiction.

This book is reminiscent of the Newbery award winning Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! . . . though it brings a lighter, funnier touch to medieval life. The voice of the squire tells the glories of being a knight--"Defender of virtue; Protector of Right. Chivalrous, daring, prepared for a fight!", while the spectator at the joust decries ". . . the drudge of watching these brutes, Charge at each other in ludicrous suits . . . ." S. D. Schindler's illustrations make the days when knighthood was in flower look appropriately seedy. All in all, a cheerful little antidote for the generally romantic view of the Middle Ages; should turn kids on to the delights of history truly told.
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