Middle Grade Classic: The Black Arrow

Title: The Black Arrow
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson. Narrated by Ron Keith.
Publisher: Originally published 1883 as a serial. Audio book, Prince Frederick, MD, Recorded Book, 2003.
Source: One-click library

Summary:
Set in the 1450s, during the War of the Roses (York vs. Lancaster, for those who remember enough English history for any of it to matter), this is the tale of young Richard Shelton, who finds himself caught between the two factions. He has to sort his way through battles, shipwrecks, the uncertainties of friend and enemy, revenge and murder, to win his peace and his sweetheart.

Review:
This is truly a tale worthy of the great masters of sword-wielding fantasy, even if set in a real historical time and place. Dick Shelton fights his way through every time, is wounded and fights on, escapes and is captured, has to learn the hard way the consequences of wandering to the wrong side of the law, and all the while is madly in love. Older than most modern middle-grade heroes (he is perhaps 17 or 18 when the story starts), he is nonetheless a perfect juvenile hero, and the story is a perfect romantic (in the sense of knights-in-shining-armor romance, not love and kisses romance, though there is a very mild love story) tale for youngsters.

The somewhat dated language might be a bit of a stumbling block for some kids, but most should pick it up quickly, and will enjoy the sense of otherness it creates. Ron Keith reads it well, making it easier for readers of all levels to follow the story. He reads Stevenson's overwrought "medieval" language with a straight face, which actually works very well. After listening for an hour or so, I felt like throwing a few "mayhaps" and "perchances" into my own speech.

Recommendation: 
I would recommend this for fairly advanced middle-grade readers, and for adults who are fond of medieval-style fantasy adventures (even though this is a historical novel, it feels a lot like some of those fantasies, without the magic).

Full Disclosure: I checked The Black Arrow out of my digital library, and received nothing from the writer, publisher or audio-book producer in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."   

Youth Classic Review: I Capture the Castle

 

Another middle grade (or YA) classic review.

Title: I Capture the Castle

Author: Dodie Smith

Publisher: Little, Brown, 1948, 343 pages.  I actually read an ebook version.

Source: Open Library (on-line library resource)

Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Cassandra lives with her family in a crumbling castle in England, where they struggle to make ends meet with no visible means of support.  Her father is a writer who can't seem to write a second book, and she, too, has some aspirations to writing.  Thus, the "journal" she keeps of what turns out to be a crucial period in their lives.

Review:

I found the story both engaging and trite at times, sometimes at the same times.  The author did manage to avoid the obvious ending I saw coming from the mid-point, which made for a pleasant surprise.  The style is dated, but not excessively so, and the idea is original.  Characters are fresh and unique, well-drawn even through the eyes of the rather naive narrator.  This is a love story, but only sometimes.  The rest of the time it is a coming-of-age story, and sometimes just a jolly good yarn.  Overall, this classic holds up well.

Recommendation:

The age of the protagonist and the subject matter (love as well as other life issues) makes this more YA than middle grade, but the circumspect writing of another time (a time when a girl of 17 wasn't a sophisticated adult) makes it acceptable for any age. It's an interesting read for the sake of the historical style and context.   It may be of as much or more interest to adults who remember reading it or similar books long, long ago, rather than to children, though any child or teen who read it will get a glimpse of a vanished world.

Full Disclosure: I checked I Capture the Castle out of my (virtual) library, and received nothing from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."