Awards
Winner of the 2008 Newbery Medal
Synopses & Reviews
Step back to an English village in 1255, where life plays out in dramatic vignettes illuminating twenty-two unforgettable characters.Maidens, monks, and millers sons — in these pages, readers will meet them all. Theres Hugo, the lords nephew, forced to prove his manhood by hunting a wild boar; sharp-tongued Nelly, who supports her family by selling live eels; and the peasants daughter, Mogg, who gets a clever lesson in how to save a cow from a greedy landlord. Theres also mud-slinging Barbary (and her noble victim); Jack, the compassionate half-wit; Alice, the singing shepherdess; and many more. With a deep appreciation for the period and a grand affection for both characters and audience, Laura Amy Schlitz creates twenty-two riveting portraits and linguistic gems equally suited to silent reading or performance. Illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings by Robert Byrd — inspired by the Munich-Nuremberg manuscript, an illuminated poem from thirteenth-century Germany — this witty, historically accurate, and utterly human collection forms an exquisite bridge to the people and places of medieval England.
Review
"Brilliant in every way." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Schlitz gives teachers a refreshing option for enhancing the study of the European Middle Ages: here are seventeen monologues and two dialogues that collectively create a portrait of life on an English manor in 1255." The Horn Book
Synopsis
Step back to an English village in 1255, where life plays out in dramatic vignettes illuminating twenty-two unforgettable characters.
Maidens, monks, and millers' sons in these pages, readers will meet them all. There's Hugo, the lord's nephew, forced to prove his manhood by hunting a wild boar; sharp-tongued Nelly, who supports her family by selling live eels; and the peasant's daughter, Mogg, who gets a clever lesson in how to save a cow from a greedy landlord. There's also mud-slinging Barbary (and her noble victim); Jack, the compassionate half-wit; Alice, the singing shepherdess; and many more. With a deep appreciation for the period and a grand affection for both characters and audience, Laura Amy Schlitz creates twenty-two riveting portraits and linguistic gems equally suited to silent reading or performance.
Illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings by Robert Byrd inspired by the Munich-Nuremberg manuscript, an illuminated poem from thirteenth-century Germany this witty, historically accurate, and utterly human collection forms an exquisite bridge to the people and places of medieval England.
Synopsis
Inspired by an illuminated poem from 13th-century Germany, this witty, historically accurate collection--the winner of the 2008 Newbery Medal--forms an exquisite bridge to the people and places of medieval England. Full color.
Synopsis
Learn about the courageous Americans who journeyed on the Oregon Trail in this picture book perfect for the Common Core
Its 1848, and brave families band together in covered wagons to head west. Each spread introduces a different speaker to tell his or her part of the story: theres Carl Hawks, son of the wagon train leader; Louisa Bailey, the newlywed; Chankoowashtay, a Sioux brave; and more. Like its acclaimed predecessor Colonial Voices, this book showcases a thrillingand often dangeroustime in our history. Richly detailed illustrations bring the story of the great Westward Expansion to vivid life.
About the Author
Laura Amy Schlitz is the author of The Hero Schliemann: The Dreamer Who Dug Up Troy and A Drowned Maiden's Hair. She wrote the pieces in Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! for students at the Park School in Baltimore, where she works as a librarian. She has also worked as a storyteller, a costumer, an actress, and a playwright; her plays for young people have been produced in theaters all over the country. Laura Amy Schlitz lives in Baltimore.