The Squire's Tale

Book review by Matt Berman, Common Sense Media
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Common Sense says

age 9+

Delightfully warmhearted Arthurian tales.

Gerald Morris Historical Fiction 1998
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age 12+

Based on 1 review

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this book.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this is a tale of knights and battles, with many deaths, though none are described graphically. The main character is loyal and brave.

Community Reviews

Dawn F.
Dawn F. Adult
March 18, 2017
age 12+

Gruesome

This easy read is probably at a 5th grade reading level. It begins with a orphaned boy who lives with a kind hermit and finds that he has some gift pthat allows him to see fairies. The tale clearly shows that it is different than the fairies of the modern age and are much like the fairies of the Middle Ages, which became more clear when I read the auhor's note in the back of the book. These are stories that have been told by generations of storytellers regarding King Arthur and the Knights of the Toubd table. He explains that these have been around since the late 1400s. It is soon clear that the stories of knights are gruesome. Terence the young boy becomes the squire of a man who aspires to be a knight of King Arthur. The newly knighted Gawain and his squire Terence are sent on a quest by King Arthur that brings in the mysteries of Terence of where he is from that he has enchanted dreams or enchanted experiences laced through the story. There is a shocking bit of violence as Gawain encounters another knight who in the midst of his fight uses his wife as his shield and as she is thrown to the side by Gawain, she returns to aid her husband and Gawain accidently choqqps off her head..in another separate event a woman begs that a villain knight be killed as he has killed her brother and because of her bloodthirsty nature the head of her villain is given to her and she is required to have his head tied to her body on her return journey to King Arthur. These are the most gruesome stories in the book, but are a bit more than I would want my 5th-7th grader read. It has a strong thread of moral choices as Gawain is a man who chooses to make his quest to rescue ladies in distress and to aid the weak. He is a commendable character and a strong leader for boys who read this to see the strength, integrity, compassion and determination of a male character. If you don't mind th chopping off of a couple of heads and you are fascinated with the stories of King Arthur you'd probably enjoy this book. It has some mystery laced in the story as you learn the heritage of Terence and Gawain, this keeps the reader curious to finish the book and discover along with Terence why he sees things so one else sees.
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What's the Story?

Orphan Terence has grown up under the care of a hermit who can see the future. When Gawain, soon to be Sir Gawain of the Round Table, stops by, the hermit sends Terence to be Gawain's squire. Gawain is a kind and noble master, Terence is a loyal and brave squire, and together they share many adventures and a deepening friendship. But Terence's parentage is mysterious, and he may have a strange connection to the faery world.

Is It Any Good?

Arthurian tales can be rather stilted and distant, though in Morris' hands, their bedrock humanity is revealed. The world of King Arthur is an apparently limitless source of inspiration for writers, artists, playwrights, directors, singers, and poets; its combination of nobility, idealism, magic, and tragedy is unmatched in world mythology and legends. But rarely has there been a version as warmhearted and satisfying as this.

Author Gerald Morris employs some brilliant techniques. He combines courtly formal language and storytelling with wicked humor and modern anachronism to great effect, using it to illuminate character, particularly that of Gawain, who can speak in flowery phrases with the best of them, but reverts to a more earthy, modern idiom when annoyed. Morris tells the story through the eyes of a young squire with a mysterious heritage, and it's immensely satisfying to watch his growth and dogged loyalty. He also brings out the humor inherent in the stories, much as T. H. White did for an older audience. But mostly it's the focus on the growing friendship between kind knight and eager squire that gives this tale more than the usual depth and soul.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the world of King Arthur. Why does it continue to fascinate and inspire us? How real was it? Children who read this may want to read the other books that comprise The Once and Future King, and may be interested in some of the sources, including Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory, The History of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth, as well as some of the other children's versions mentioned in the Related Books section below.

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