It’s a pleasure to be involved in a great Blog Tour hosted by Mother Daughter Book Reviews.
Thanks for dropping by, I hope that you find my review helpful.
Great news! As part of the Blog Tour there is a great Rafflecopter giveaway with a prize
consisting of a $25 Amazon gift card or PayPal cash.
Look out for it below (after the review)
YOUNG KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE (The King’s Ransom)
by Cheryl Carpinello ★★★★
In medieval Wales, eleven-year-old Prince Gavin, thirteen-year-old orphan Philip, and fifteen-year-old blacksmith’s apprentice Bryan are brought together in friendship by one they call the Wild Man. When an advisor to the king is killed and a jewelled medallion is stolen from the king’s treasury, the Wild Man is accused of the theft and murder.
Filled with disbelief at the arrest of the Wild Man, the three friends embark upon a knight’s quest to save their friend’s life. To succeed, the three must confront their fears and insecurities, and one of them will have to disclose the biggest secret of all.
Join Gavin, Philip, and Bryan on their quest and share the adventures that await them in the land of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. [Goodreads]
Awards
2013 EVVY Finalist and EVVY Merit Award for
Juvenile/Young Adult from Colorado Independent Publishers Assoc.
2013 Ariana Cover Finalist
2012 Silver Award Recipient for YA Fiction from
Children’s Literary Classics and the CLC’s 2012 Seal of Approval.
2012 Finalist E-Book Children from USA 2012 Best Book Awards
My Review
An engaging adventure in a historical setting, with likable characters.
The underlying theme that I got from this story was one of honour, loyalty and putting others first. It has some good lessons for young readers. We have three friends as the main characters, each of them quite different. Phillip, who had endured horrible tragedy and made the most of what little he had. Bryan, who was sent by his family to learn the craft of a blacksmith, whilst dreaming of a life as a Knight. Gavin, a young Prince, who wanted to be worthy of one day bravely leading his father’s army into battle.
One day there is a terrible crime committed and the main suspect is a mysterious friend of the three, known as the Wild Man. And so the three friends join forces and the quest begins to prove the innocence of their friend. Each of our heroes has their own important part to play in the journey. Failure would mean that the Wild Man would be put to death.
It was nice to see the characters acting selflessly. Their only driver was to do what was right, and to save someone from a terrible injustice. I would have liked to have known more about the part of the story, where they convinced the King to offer a helping hand, as it was happening. I felt this part was too brief and needed more detail. It could be a great way to add some extra tension and suspense on the way to the climax. The story moved along at a pace that kept me engaged and I was keen to see how it all panned out. There were definitely some surprising twists along the way (particularly towards the end) that added an extra layer to the story that I didn’t expect.
The only way that you’ll know what the twists are is by reading the book yourself. I will say one thing though – in the end, everyone gets what they deserve. It brings to mind something that I’ve often said, and tried to teach to my own kids as they’ve grown – good brings good, bad brings bad.
My bottom line: This is a good story with some lessons for young readers aged 9-14. It has an engaging adventure in a good setting, and characters that I suspect would be quite relatable to its target audience.
Note: I don’t claim to be a pro-reviewer, I am a reader. My reviews are based on my personal thoughts around the story that the book is trying to tell. I try to focus on the story (which is the reason I read) rather than dissect the book and pass comment on typos, writing style or structure.
A free copy of this book was provided to me by the author for a fair and honest review.
All about Cheryl Carpinello
Although a retired teacher, Cheryl Carpinello still has a passion for working with kids. She regularly conducts Medieval Writing Workshops for local elementary/middle schools and the Colorado Girl Scouts. She is not the only one who loves Medieval Times and the King Arthur Legend. The kids thoroughly enjoy writing their own medieval stories complete with dragons, wizards, unicorns and knights!
She loves to travel and her other job is with a major airline. Her favorite trip was a two week visit to Egypt with her husband that included traveling by local train from one end of Egypt to the other.
Some of her favorite books include The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Once and Future King, and any by the duo Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.
Author Site: http://www.beyondtodayeducator.com/
Author Blog: http://carpinelloswritingpages.blogspot.com
Facebook page: Author Cheryl Carpinello
Goodreads author page: Cheryl Carpinello
Twitter: @CCarpinello
Google+: Cheryl Carpinello
Young Knights of the Round Table Blog Tour Schedule (2013)
September 9
Mother Daughter Book Reviews (Launch)
Victoria Simcox (Review)September 10
The Wise Owl Factory Book A Day (Review + Supplement)September 11
Fiona Ingram (Review)September 12
Mary Sutton (Author Interview)September 13
Tales of a Bookworm (Review)
Kid Lit Reviews (Review)September 14
Jemima Pett (Review)
Create With Joy (Review)September 15
S.W. Lothian (Review)September 16
Sher A Hart (Review)September 17
Mother Daughter Book Reviews (Review)
Stitch Says (Author Interview)September 18
Fiona Ingram (Author Interview)September 19
Mommynificent (Review)September 20
Nik’s Picks Book Reviews (Guest Post)September 21
Black Words – White Pages Kids (Review)September 22
WhenIgrowupIwannawriteakidsbook (Review)September 23
Fantasy Fun With Kirsten Pulioff (Review)
Published Bestsellers (Review)September 24
Stitch Says (Review)September 25
Bookworm for Kids (Review)September 26
Inkspired: A Blog (Review)September 27
R.K. Grow- reading.writing.blogging. (Guest Post)September 28
Mel’s Shelves (Review)September 29
Magical Middle-Grade Literature (Review)September 30
Le Vanity Victorienne (Review)
Great news!
As part of the Blog Tour here is a great Rafflecopter giveaway with a prize consisting of
a $25 Amazon gift card or PayPal cash.
Contest runs: September 9 to October 6, 11:59 pm, 2013
Open: Worldwide
Click the button below to jump over to Rafflecopter to enter.
Terms and Conditions: A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. If you have any additional questions – feel free to contact Renee at Mother Daughter Book Reviews.
S.W. Lothian - Author 
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