Brave Margaret: An Irish Adventure

by Robert D. San Souci, Sally Wern Comport (Illustrator)

Overview

Margaret has a brave heart. She dreams of adventure and longs to travel to distant lands, so when a tall ship appears in the harbor, headed north to the Kingdoms of the Cold, Margaret won't be left behind.
But adventures are perilous things. Soon Margaret must face a ferocious sea serpent and even worse dangers. And she must discover the truth about an old woman with strange powers and mysterious plans, or she'll never find a way to bring herself and her true love safely home.
Acclaimed author Robert D. San Souci spins a tale of magic, battles, and romance in this traditional Irish story of a young woman whose courage astonishes her enemies — and even herself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780689810725
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	02/01/1999
Edition description:	1st Edition
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	349,535
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 11.25(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD790L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Robert D. San Souci is the critically acclaimed author of many popular books for young people. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Sally Wern Comport has illustrated numerous picture books and novels, including Love Will See You Through: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Six Guiding Beliefs (as told by his niece); Brave Margaret: An Irish Adventure; Hanging Off Jefferson’s Nose: Growing Up on Mt. Rushmore; and the Spy Mice series. She has also translated her picture making skills to various large-scale public, private, and institutional artworks. Sally lives with her husband and two daughters in Annapolis, Maryland, where she operates Art at Large Inc. Learn more at ArtAtLargeInc.com.

Editorial Reviews

"The heroine strikes a blow for womankind in this high-spirited tale set in ancient Ireland," said PW. "Comport uses dark and rugged pastels and varying perspective to capture the drama of Margaret's adventures." Ages 5-10. (Feb.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Copper-haired, fair-skinned Margaret strikes a blow for womankind in this high-spirited tale set in ancient Ireland. Margaret is content to run her small farm in County Donegal until the day a magnificent ship, captained by young Prince Simon, anchors nearby. Simon stirs Margaret's heart and her sense of adventure and she pleads to accompany him on his journey. He agrees, but a battle with a sea serpent sends Margaret ashore alone, where she takes refuge with an old hag during a storm. Margaret soon learns that her hostess is a sorceress who will not allow her to reunite with Simon until the young woman slays a monster. San Souci's adaptation of a traditional West Irish tale races along at fever pitch, bringing Margaret to the brink of disaster again and again. He carefully integrates magical elements into the action and also challenges young readers with a sprinkling of words authentic to the time and place (byre, kine, maw). In her picture book debut, Comport uses dark and rugged pastels and varying perspective to capture the drama of Margaret's adventures. Her vivid, crashing waves, rearing horses and bellowing monsters enhance this exciting read. Ages 5-10. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

K-Gr 3 A quintessential hero tale with a feminist twist. Beautiful and courageous Margaret meets a handsome prince, Simon, and joins his seafaring crew. After she is separated from the ship, she defeats a sea serpent and is washed ashore to a witch's hut where a magic sword hangs. Rediscovered by Simon, Margaret prepares to leave but the old woman imprisons them with her sorceress's powers and demands the death of the giant at a nearby castle in return for their release. Simon fights and loses his life. Upon learning that she is the intended champion of the enchanted sword, Margaret faces the giant and wins. When the hag regains the castle, a magic potion restores her youth and Simon's life. All live happily ever after. An author's note credits this rousing adventure to a Gaelic source published in 1893, but contemporary readers will delight in the action, plot twists, and the familiar character types. The telling is tightly tailored and sometimes even terse; the dialogue is declarative and occasionally stilted. But the events that unfold are thrilling and ultimately satisfying. Done in vivid, fiery colors, flashier than those usually associated with traditional folklore, the full-page pastel illustrations give the overall effect of vigor and great drama. A surefire hit for storytimes, this is just plain good fun for fans of fairy tales and hero quests alike. Carol Ann Wilson, Westfield Memorial Library, NJ Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

Another woman-turned-warrior tale, this time set in Ireland. Brave adventurer Margaret longs to "learn what lay beyond the wide sea," and seizes her first opportunity when the handsome son of a king, Simon, stumbles onto her farm. She mightily convinces him to take her aboard, and is soon felling sea serpents. This prefaces the real monster she must slay-giant who rendered her true love lifeless with the stroke of a club-but she is imprisoned by a sorceress hag who tells her that only the "champion" whose finger fits a silver ring can free the sword that will kill the giant. Margaret slips the ring on, exclaiming, "What fools we are for thinking it must be a man who slays that great, dirty giant!" With giant slain and true love returned from the dead, a wedding ensues. This story has it all: high seas, sorcery, sea serpents, the slaying of dragons, with a Maureen O'Hara-like spitfire at the heart of it all. San Souci conjures up large events and sweeps of time with a minimum of words. Comport casts Margaret as a long-necked, pale-skinned beauty with waves of red hair as fiery as her spirit. (Picture book/folklore. 5-9) .

Kirkus Reviews