Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices From A Medieval Village

The Sunday Age

Sunday February 3, 2008

Frances Atkinson

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices From A Medieval Village

Laura Amy Schlitz; ills., Robert Byrd

Walker Books, $29.95

What dedication. This book was created by a librarian whose class was studying the Middle Ages. She was so impressed by their desire to learn, she created 22 short monologues so that each person in the class could re-enact their bit out loud and immerse themselves in a character. The first one is Hugo, the Lord's nephew, who is out on his first hunt. He must prove his masculinity by killing a wild boar. If he fails, his uncle will flog him; if he succeeds, he gets the honour of eating the boar's kidneys. Robert Byrd's illustrations match the text perfectly and do a wonderful job of evoking life in an English village in 1255. The book has won a stack of awards, mostly recently the Newbery medal for 2008.

© 2008 The Sunday Age

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