The Squire, His Knight, & His Lady

by Gerald Morris

Overview

“Laced with magic, humor, and chivalry, this reworking of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight provides an engaging introduction to the original tale.” —The Horn Book
 
Squire Terence and Sir Gawain are off questing again, but this time their journey is overshadowed by their ultimate destination: Gawain is to meet up with the Green Knight in a contest that could easily lead to Gawain’s death. Along the way the two have a slew of hair-raising adventures and encounter the usual odd assortment of characters, including the plucky Lady Eileen. Sparks instantly fly between Terence and Eileen as she joins the squire and his knight on their travels. As they weave their way between the world of men and the Other World, Gawain and Terence discover much about themselves.
 
The Squire, His Knight, and His Lady is the sequel to Gerald Morris’s debut book, The Squire’s Tale, about which the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books raved, “This Arthurian road trip will have readers wondering why there aren’t more books like this one and hoping that Morris will do it again.” And so he has.
 
“Fast moving and easy to read, this novel will lure youngsters into wanting to read about Camelot, while those familiar with the legends will enjoy this new interpretation.” —School Library Journal (starred review)
 
“The glory days of knights and quests are brought to life with humor, dimensional characters, exceptionally descriptive prose, and fresh, modern dialogue.” —Booklist
 
“[A] engaging adventure, an ideal follow-up to the first book and just as full of characters who are brave, loyal, and admirably human.” —Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780547529844
Publisher:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date:	12/15/2020
Series:	Squire's Tales Series , #2
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	244
Sales rank:	443,073
Lexile:	760L (what's this?)
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	10 - 11 Years

About the Author

When Gerald Morris was in fifth grade he loved Greek and Norse mythology and before long was retelling the stories to his younger sister and then to neighborhood kids. He began carrying a notebook in which he kept some of the details related to the different stories. The joy he found in retelling those myths continued when he discovered other stories. According to Gerald Morris, "I never lost my love of retelling the old stories. When I found Arthurian literature, years later, I knew at once that I wanted to retell those grand tales. So I pulled out my notebook . . . I retell the tales, peopling them with characters that I at least find easier to recognize, and let the magic of the Arthurian tradition go where it will." Gerald Morris lives in Wausau, Wisconsin, with his wife and their three children. In addition to writing he serves as a minister in a church.

Editorial Reviews

When a giant green knight barrels into the Christmas feast at Camelot and issues a bloody challenge, Terence finds himself at the beginning of another quest as Sir Gawain's squire. Picking up several years after The Squire's Tale (rev. 7/98) leaves off, this Arthurian fantasy weaves several adventures into one, as Terence and Gawain face numerous adversaries, both dangerous and droll, on their way to finding the Knight of the Green Chapel. When Gawain is captured by a murderous marquis, Terence conspires with the lord's plucky niece to free him. Lady Eileen seizes the opportunity to escape from her hated uncle by joining the men for the remainder of their adventure, which leads them into the land of faery, the Other World. There they meet up with a cannibal hag, the legendary hero Cucholinn, a sea monster, and the Green Knight, who owes Gawain a deadly blow. Terence and his companions are spirited characters who face each setback with courage, if not always common sense. Although the novel builds upon plot elements and characters found in the first volume, the story stands well alone. Laced with magic, humor, and chivalry, this reworking of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," in which Gawain learns humility and Terence discovers his true place in the world, provides an engaging introduction to the original tale. --Horn Book Magazine

Anne St. John

Gr 5-9-In this welcome sequel to The Squire's Tale (Houghton, 1998), Morris has taken a familiar tale and added humor, pathos, intelligence, and fallibility to the heroes of old in a way that turns them into real people. Readers will sometimes laugh at and sometimes pity, but often love, honor, and respect them. Squire Terence and Sir Gawain are biding their time at King Arthur's court. During a feast, a giant, green knight rides into the hall and suggests a game to amuse the guests: stroke for stroke, he will take a blow unarmed from any knight present who will agree to take a similar blow from him one year hence. Gawain accepts the challenge in order to protect Arthur and proceeds to lop off the green giant's head. The knight sets it back on his shoulders and demands Gawain's presence at the Green Chapel one year later to receive his answering blow. Although Gawain knows that he is doomed, he sets out to find the chapel and meet his fate, accompanied by his faithful squire. During the quest, Gawain and Terence become better friends than ever, and share their adventures with the Lady Eileen, who joins them along the way, first as an annoyance and eventually as a love interest for Terence. By story's end, Terence has a new understanding of his heritage and his future. Fast moving and easy to read, this novel will lure youngsters into wanting to read more about Camelot, while those familiar with the Arthurian legends will enjoy this new interpretation.-Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

This sequel to The Squire's Tale (1998) finds Morris's affable young hero, Terence, still serving the legendary Sir Gawain. The kingdom of Camelot, where they are living, is in despair over Queen Guinevere's affair with Sir Lancelot; when Gawain is challenged to meet the Knight of the Green they set off on a new quest. Terence is still young, but he is no longer the novice of the previous novel; when Gawain is imprisoned by the treacherous Marquis of Alva and scheduled for execution, it's up to Terence to save not only his knight, but the beautiful and spirited Lady Eileen. The three of them come upon an enchanted castle, where the lord of the realm turns out to be the Green Knight in disguise: Gawain is forced to pass two additional challenges in order to regain face. There is a well-crafted but tumultuous unfolding of events, and an author's note in which Morris explains his abiding affection and respect for Gawain; this personal touch may send readers straight off to Chaucer. Even Arthur and Guinevere make up in this engaging adventure, an ideal follow-up to the first book and just as full of characters who are brave, loyal, and admirably human. (Fiction. 12-14)

Kirkus Reviews