Bookshelves: Historical Fiction, Series, Adventure, Young Adult, Read Aloud to the Kids
Rating: 4 of 5 stars (It was good)
Recommended Age: 8+
This is juvenile fiction. The biggest concern is the battles, fighting and death. It isn't too gory, but there is some description.
I enjoyed this quick easy historical fiction for youth. I think most of the concerns I have for it will hopefully be resolved in the rest of the series. I enjoy how our hero is left on the door step of an abbey as a baby with a note saying it is for his own safety. From the beginning you wonder who this boy really is. Sir Thomas and some other Knights of the Templar show up and suddenly Sir Thomas requires a new squire and Tristan is just at the right time of his life for it. From the beginning I liked him but could tell he knows more than he's letting on. The meeting with King Richard also stirs some questions. Sir Hugh is the bad guy you love to hate but somehow Tristan always manages to squeak out of his grasp. When the city is surrounded Sir Thomas makes sure that Tristan escapes with the holy grail with a mission to deliver it. On his way he meets up with a young Robin Hood and the two of them decide to travel to the port city together. I liked how it didn't get too deep into the political debates of the Christian Crusades but I'm eager to see where the books go from here after they added Maryam, a warrior from the Saracens. There are parts that are not historically correct, but considering this is a work of fiction some leeway should be made. I liked how Tristan wasn't all about the battle. Being raised by monks made him virtuous first. The ending was quite the cliff hanger leaving you questioning things and eager for book 2. There was a few curses, no romance and some battles. It's not too gory, but there are attacks, battles and deaths and an arrow being removed which might be too much for some younger kids. I see this as a good series for my boys. I might add this to our list of read alongs for the family. Will continue to the next.
Happy Reading!
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