June 19, 2012
The King’s Ransom (Young Knights of the Round Table)
Cheryl Carpinello
MuseItUp Publishing (2012)
ISBN:
Young Knights Delights Readers as First in Round Table Children’s Books Series
Children, parents, and educators will be delighted that Cheryl Carpinello, author of Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend is back with another King Arthur story for young readers. Like Guinevere, The King’s Ransom (Young Knights of the Round Table) is a chapter book and also the first in a projected series of Young Knights of the Round Table novels.
While King Arthur and one of his greatest knights (to say which knight would be giving away the plot) make cameo appearances in the book, the primary story centers around Gavin, the Prince of Pembroke Castle, and his two friends, Philip, a young boy with secrets, and Bryan, a blacksmith in training, as they seek to save the life of their mysterious friend, the Wild Man, who has been training them for knighthood. The Wild Man has been accused of murdering and stealing the gold and emerald medallion, known as the King’s Ransom, which allowed its owner to wield enormous power. Convinced the Wild Man is innocent of the crime, Gavin and his friends are determined to find out who the real killer is before King Arthur arrives to watch that justice is done and the Wild Man put to death.
The adventures these future Young Knights of the Round Table experience in their quest to save their friend are filled with the fantasy and adventure story elements that children love to read. There’s a villain, secret passages in castles, swordplay, and even a witch. And with King Arthur’s appearance, astonishing secret identities being revealed, and a happy ending, what more could anyone want in a good read?
As a teacher, Carpinello has been teaching the legend of King Arthur to her young students for over twenty years, so she has a good sense of what children want to read as well as how to educate them through a story. At just seventy-seven pages, the book is divided into eighteen short chapters that keep the pacing of the book fast and readers interested. Young Knights of the Round Table: The King’s Ransom, will teach young readers tolerance, loyalty, and courage as well as introduce them to the wonderful and thrilling literature of the Arthurian legend. While the book is best suited for readers in third through eighth grade, both young and old readers, boys and girls, as well as adults and King Arthur enthusiasts everywhere will enjoy this book. I only wish Carpinello had been writing her books when I was a child.
For more information about The King’s Ransom (Young Knights of the Round Table) and Cheryl Carpinello, visit www.beyondtodayeducator.com
— Tyler R. Tichelaar, Ph.D., and author of the award-winning “Narrow Lives”
