Arthur

This is the second novel in a trilogy for teenagers which follows the life of Arthur, squire to Lord Stephen de Holt. Set in 1200, it is a rich, lively and absorbing tale, written in short chapters, loosely in diary form, of the rites of passage from boyhood to adulthood. Arthur's main objective is to prepare to go on crusade with Lord Stephen, and to this end he has fencing lessons and goes about the business of learning to dress his Lord in armour and to wear armour himself. While they prepare, Arthur is also taken up with the longing to discover who his real mother is, with his growing affection for Winnie, daughter of a nearby knight, and a number of castle intrigues and rituals. The different threads of the story are illuminated with entrancing details of daily mediaeval life, beliefs, use of herbs, customs, made immediate and natural by the liveliness of the minor characters. Concurrent with Arthur's story runs the story of the times of the legendary King Arthur. Through his obsidian, a seeing stone, Arthur can see stories from the King Arthur legend played out, and the two Arthurs are further linked by the fact that Merlin, who appears in the stone, is also the character who gave Arthur his seeing stone. The stories of life under King Arthur's reign have a subtle and tangential relevance to Arthur's own life - and serve as examples of adult life which the teenager puzzles over, searching for right and wrong. As the book progresses Arthur comes to realize that to be a man he must listen chiefly to himself, and to become the centre of his own story, not the onlooker in someone else's. Gloriously imaginative and magical, this novel will grip readers in their teenage years. Ages 10+ (Kirkus UK)