A Medieval Feast by Aliki

Blurb: The King is coming to visit! For the lord and lady of Camdenton Manor, the announcement from the palace is an awesome challenge. The King travels with his Queen and court: rooms must be readied, tents set up, fields fenced for the royal horses-and above all, there is the great feast to concoct.The preparations take weeks. There is hunting and hawking, milling and baking, brewing and churning .... Then, in the great vaulted kitchen, the cooking begins in earnest! One after another the sumptuous dishes emerge -- succulent roasts, birds baked in Pies, and fantastic sculptures of pastry and marzipan. And to the music of minstrels, while jugglers juggle and jesters jest, the guests in the Great Hall eat their way through it all. The lord gives his King a feast to remember!With A Medieval Feast Aliki creates a joyful extravaganza to bring the character and colour of a distant world tantalisingly close.

The illustrations in this book match the medieval setting with illuminated letters and pretty embellishments on each page. There are also tiny captions for each illustration.  The story is set in 1400. You can see inside this book here. 

I spied this book in a school library yesterday and I knew it would be the perfect companion book to pair with The Amazing Meals of Martha Maloney. Sadly, though, I do need to report this book very ole but you might find a copy for sale. It was first published in 1983. How lucky the library I visited had kept it all this time. 

About Aliki. She was born in 1929 and is the author of some fabulous books. I found a list of all her titles.  Here are a few you might find in a school or public library:

The Witch's Boy by Kelly Barnhill

 

Twins Ned and Tam decide to build a raft and head down the river to the sea. The boys are only seven years old and within minutes of the launch their raft disintegrates. Their father jumps into the river but only one twin can be saved.  The boys' mother is known as Sister Witch. She is the village healer but Tam is dead and that cannot be reversed. Hidden under the house is a jar of magic. Sister Witch does not want both of her sons to die so she invokes the magic and captures the spirit of Tam, stitching into Ned.

Ned survives the accident but he is deeply changed. He can no longer make sense of letters and writing and he suffers with a dreadful stutter. 

The family live in a small remote village located near a huge forest. People in the village believe there is nothing on the other side of the forest and that inside the forest itself there are dangerous monsters. No one dares to go there.

Meanwhile Aine and her father have moved into a remote part of this same forest. They have journeyed from the other side. Aine's mother has recently died. Her father has become almost a stranger. He wears a carved stone necklace and he is now a bandit with a huge gang of thieves under his command. Aine's father calls himself the Bandit King.

Now we need the prophecy - words uttered by Aine's dying mother:

"The wrong boy will save your life, and you will save his. And the wolf ..."

Reading a book like The Witch's Boy I just marvel at the imagination of a writer like Kelly Barnhill. My description of the plot so far only explains one of several story threads.  Click these review quotes to read more plot details then go out and find this book today! I highly recommend The Witch's Boy for all keen readers aged 10+.

The classic fantasy elements are all there, richly re-imagined, with a vivid setting, a page-turning adventure of a plot, and compelling, timeless themes. Kirkus star review

My students and I look to books to escape. We also look to books to entertain us, to keep us company, to make us laugh, to make us cry. We look to books to teach us empathy. We look to books to see others. We look to books to see ourselves. The Witch’s Boy does all of that and more. Ned and Áine’s story will be one that you will return to again and again. This is a book to treasure. Nerdy Book Club

The setting is exceptional: lush descriptions are flawlessly integrated, conveying a deep understanding of the natural world and the people, flawed and complex, who populate it.  Bulletin of the Centre for Children's Books

In 2017 I read and loved The Girl who Drank the Moon also by Kelly Barnhill so I was excited to read The Witch's Boy which is another utterly engrossing story with an absolutely perfect ending.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster audio book

And in the very room to which he sat, 

there were books that could take you anywhere ...

Norton Juster The Phantom Tollbooth last page!

It is wonderful to add new books to our library nearly every week but I do worry that some 'classics' might slip off the radar.

One of our splendid teachers recently retired.  The Phantom Tollbooth, first published in 1961, was a firm favourite as a class read-aloud.  I am sure hundreds of children who were lucky enough to be in her class will fondly remember listening to the joyous, turbulent, exciting, funny, wild story.

When I saw the audio book recently I happily purchased it for our school library.  As a bonus this version is read by David Hyde Pierce (Frasier) and he is a splendid narrator.  We have a copy of If you give a pig a pancake by Laura Numeroff which he narrates so I knew I would be in safe hands.

I am in awe of this audio book because David has to sustain so many disparate voices.  He does this brilliantly.  The best voice he saves for right near the end when our intrepid heroes meet the Gelatinous Giant.

I am not going to outline to complex plot for The Phantom Tollbooth.  If you click this quote it will take you to a splendid review in the New Yorker which was written to celebrate the 50th Anniversary.

What Milo discovers is that math and literature, Dictionopolis and Digitopolis, should assume their places not under the pentagon of Purpose and Power but under the presidency of Rhyme and Reason. Learning isn’t a set of things that we know but a world that we enter.

I want to focus one chapter which really tickled my funny bone.  In Chapter 18 Milo, Tock and the Humbug have almost reached the castle.  They are so close the Rhyme and Reason but there is one more obstacle - the senses taker.  Listening to the audio book you will at first think this is the census taker.  I can't wait to use this in August when we have a census here in Australia :

"I'm the official senses taker and I must have some information before I can take your senses.  Now, if you'll just tell me when you were born, where you were born, why you were born, how old you are now, how old you were then, how old you'll be in a little while, your mother's name, your father's name, your aunt's name, your uncle's name, your cousin's name, where you live, how long you've lived there, the schools you've attended, the schools you haven't attended, your telephone number, your shoe size, shirt size, collar size, hat size, and the names and addresses of six people who can verify all this information ... "

There is so much information available to use for your study of this book.  Here are a couple of sites to get you started.

Figurative Language

Video interview with Norton Juster.  This audio book also has a terrific interview at the end of the fourth disk.

Chapter by chapter questions

Plan to pick up the book or the audio book of The Phantom Tollbooth it is indeed a book that can and will take you anywhere!

Ophelia and the marvelous boy by Karen Foxlee

It took me a long time to read this book and then it  sat on my review pile for a long time too but last night I watched the movie Frozen which led me to think about the power of a story like The Snow Queen and hence this book.  Ophelia and the Marvelous boy is deeply entwined with the famous story of the Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen.

Before reading on take a minute to click this site and read the whole prologue to Ophelia and the marvelous boy.  It will give you a sense of the tone and astute readers will immediately see the connection with The Snow Queen.

Ophelia has come with her sister and father to a large city museum.  Her father has been appointed curator of  "Battle : the greatest exhibition of swords in the history of the world."  Malcolm is a sword expert but he is also easy distracted by his work which he conducts with meticulous care.  This means he has not noticed that his younger daughter Ophelia has become caught up in her own quest - to free The Marvelous Boy.  If you have read the prologue you will know he has been locked up.

"If you choose to help me, you must find the key to this door.  We need to find my sword, which is magical, and the One Other, who will know how to wield it.  On the Wintertide Clock there is a number in the little window at the very bottom of the face, ... that will tell us how much time we have."

They have just three days.  Over this time Ophelia will learn the full story of the Marvelous Boy and each day she will have to overcome her own terror and retrieve things for the boy beginning with the key to his room.

Here is a review in our Australian magazine Reading Time.  Here is an interview with the author. One more review worth reading from the School Library Journal.

If you pick out this book for a class novel study it might be interesting to compare it with The Tunnel by Anthony Browne.  You might also enjoy Temmi and the flying bears.  We also have Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu in our library along with many editions of The Snow Queen.

Though she’s unsure she believes the boy’s fantastical story, Ophelia gradually heeds an inner voice urging her 

to follow her heart. 

The most wonderful thing in the world by Vivian French illustrated by Angela Barrett

"Once, in the time of your grandmother's grandmother, there was a kingdom.  In the middle of the kingdom was a large lagoon dotted with islands, and here a city had been built; a city of sky-blue water and golden bridges.  It was a small city, but it was a beautiful ... and the king and queen were very proud of it.  They were also proud of their daughter Lucia  ..."

And so the scene is set.  Lucia needs a husband.  The parents write a letter to the wise man and he replies they must find a young man "who can show you the most wonderful thing in the world."

Lucia is brought roses, a snow-white horse, performing dogs, magical beasts, a piece of frozen sky and many more strange and amazing gifts but none of these things see quite wonderful enough.  You may have guessed the ending - although I hope not.  Find this book and I hope you gasp with delight as I did at the outcome. (Spoiler alert don't click the Kirkus review below until you have read this book)

Here we have the perfect author and illustrator team who have produced a sumptuous, romantic picture book with a completely satisfying story.

Here is the author web site and you might also like to dip into my review of the series Tales of the Five Kingdoms also by Vivian French.   We also have several books illustrated by Angela Barrett in our library including one of my favourites The Hidden House by Martin Waddell.

Following this book I suggest reading The Greatest Treasure of Charlemagne the King, The Quilt Makers Gift and The Dragon and the Minstrel pup.

Lightly wraps the love of family as the center of life in a silken gown of word and image, with a playful undercurrent of both whimsy and irony. 

The Starkin Crown by Kate Forsyth

My blog is becoming famous. For the first time ever an author has approached me to read her latest book and then do an interview and she even sent me a copy of her book!! (Well actually this is the second time - Belinda Murrell who is Kate's sister actually asked me first you can see my Q&A for The Ivory Rose).

I absolutely loved The Starkin Crown and if you are an avid fantasy reader you will love it too. Boys this is a book for you too - I did not like the cover - but don't let that stop you grabbing hold of this powerful story of ... as it says on the cover it is a book of ambush, betrayal and murder!

Here is my interview with Kate Forsyth :

1. Do you like the cover? I am guessing that you do but I think it is so limiting. For me the audience for this book is upper Primary boys. This cover probably will not appeal to them. Was it hard to decide to put such a gender specific cover or do you think boys will pick your book up just as readily as girls?

I do indeed love the cover! However, I agree that girls may be more likely to pick it up than boys. It's difficult to design a cover that appeals to both genders, and we wanted something very eye-catching and dramatic. I certainly think the cover is both. And I have already had some fan mail from boy readers which seems to indicate they're reading the book and loving it. I have always had both male and female readers, and I think that readers of fantasy are more open to reading across gender barriers.

2. I confess I have not read the earlier two books. This made no difference to my enjoyment. Was this a deliberate plan? I must say the market does seem to be flooded with trilogies and quartets at the moment so it was refreshing to read a book with the complete story.

Thank you! Yes, this was absolutely a deliberate decision. I wanted each book to be able to be read and enjoyed on its own merits; to have a complete narrative arc. I have written books in series before, but I confess I love to read a book that you finish with a deep sigh of satisfaction, a sense of fulfilment. My aim in 'The Starkin Crown' was to write the sort of book that I had loved so much when I was a child myself, a story filled with adventure, suspense, and magic, that lingered in your mind for a long time afterwards. To achieve that, I really needed a story that could stand alone.

3. Do you see your scenes in your head as you write? I loved the feast for midwinter I could smell and see and taste it.

Yes, indeed. I have a strong visual imagination. I cannot write a scene till I can 'see' it in my mind's eye. Sometimes it's as if I have a movie running in my brain, with surround sound and Panavision, and I'm simply doing my best to capture what I see and hear with words.

4. Was it hard to write about Grizelda just giving us little hints about her evil intentions? I love the idea of the reader knowing or guessing more than the characters themselves. When her dog urinated on the wall as Peregrine and Jack and all their escort left via the secret exit I just knew something was wrong. This meant I paid special attention to everything Grizelda said - every nuance of her voice and each of her reactions to danger. The things she packed in her luggage were also a powerful hint.

I have to admit this was the most difficult part of the whole novel. How many clues should I drop? Was I being too subtle, or too obvious? I wanted the reader to suspect her, but not to be sure. The response I've had from my child readers has been fantastic - some were absolutely sure she was 'the baddy', others said they didn't guess to the end.

5. There is an endorsement on the back cover. Do you think endorsements play an important part in book selection for children or for Teachers or for Teacher Librarians? Who is Juliet Marillier?

I certainly think endorsements can help anyone choosing which book to buy out of all the thousands of books on offer. I know I read them! And often I will buy a book on the strength of that endorsement. It's like receiving a book recommendation from a friend that you know likes the same sort of bookst hat you do. I'm very proud of my endorsements from Garth Nix and Juliet Marillier - they are both internationally bestselling fantasy authors whose books I love and so I am so glad that they like my books too. If you haven't yet read Juliet Marillier, you absolutely must! She's one of my all-time favourite writers.

6. Your evil queen Vernisha reminded me of the Queen of Narnia and The Snow Queen do you see any similarities?

No! Really? That's fascinating. I love both those evil queens, but I did not have them in my mind at all when I was creating Vernisha. In fact, I can't think of any other villain that she resembles. My evil fairy queen in 'The Puzzle Ring' has more in common with the White Witch of Narnia, I think.

7. There are so many truly gruesome descriptions of death and torture in this book. Do they shock you? The part where the rats eat a person was almost too awful to read. Also all those arrows through the heart and throat and eyes!

No-one actually gets tortured in the book! It's only talked about. I hope that makes it easier. And it seemed important both to establish the importance of overthrowing such a vile queen, and also the fact that Grizelda was quite unmoved by describing such terrible punishments. I don't think I could have actually written a scene where that happened to anyone. Similarly, the battle scene is crucial in the story. Peregrine and his friends must be in mortal danger for the reader to feel that suspenseful thrill. It's only one swift scene, and it removes Peregrine from the normal world of safety and sets him off on his perilous adventure.

8. Did it give you great joy to write the healing scene for Molly? I loved this part so much I read it and then immediately re-read it. In fact I could hardly wait for Jack and Peregrine to drink the healing liquid so Molly could be healed.

It did indeed give me great joy. My daughter was diagnosed with hip dysplasia when she was six months old. It was one of the most wonderful moments of my life when the orthopaedic surgeon finally told me that all our hard work had paid off, and that she would be able to run and skip and dance just like any other child. Recalling that moment brings the sting of tears to my eyes. In fact, I think I may have had a mist before my eyes when I wrote that scene.

9. Do you see links to your earlier series Chain of Charms - once again we have an evil society where singing and fun are banned.

I had not actually consciously realised that there were thematic links between the books, but now that you point it out I can see that this is indeed true. I suppose this is because I feel so strongly myself that we should live joyously and so my own life philosophy makes its way into my work. There are differences between them as well. The Starkin lords live in great luxury and bedeck themselves in silks and jewels and have incredibly elaborate feasts, while the Puritans of Cromwell's time believed in living simply and plainly, and disapproved of any kind of frivolity or luxury.

10. Is it difficult to write your prophesy rhymes? Do you plan these first or do they just evolve as you are writing?

Sometimes the prophecies can be difficult to write, and sometimes they come to me virtually fully formed, with a clear vision of the story embedded within them. The first book in the Estelliana Chronicles was 'The Starthorn Tree' and I wrote it when my youngest son was only a newborn baby. I had intended the Starthorn Tree to be a stand-alone book, complete in itself, but one night I was working on the novel in the still, quiet darkness of the early hours of the morning and one of my characters opened his mouth and began to utter a prophecy - the one that appears in the front of 'The Starkin Crown'. I saw very clearly that there would be another two books to follow on from 'The Starthorn Tree' - the two story lines came to me like a dream or a vision, unrolling in my mind' eye. One image was an impossibly tall crystal tower, and I knew a princess was imprisoned in that tower and the quest would be to free her. That became the central image of 'TheWildkin's Curse'. The key image for the second story was a vision of Peregrine, blind and in despair, struggling through the marsh looking for... something. I did not know what. But the lines:



'Though he must be lost before he can find,



Though, before he sees, he must be blind,



if he can find and if he can see,



the true king of all he shall be'

wrote themselves on the page. From those lines, and from that vivid image, the whole story evolved.

11. Is the lightning storm experience by Robin a form of epilepsy?

Yes, it is. In medieval times, epilepsy was known as 'falling sickness' or as 'lightning in the brain'.

12. Do you have a favourite scene in the book? For me it is when Robin summons all the animals and they give him food on page 106. I also love the fact that Molly is not a beauty in contrast with the icy beauty of Grizelda.

I have a number of favourite scenes. Lame Molly leading blind Peregrine through the marshes and the discovery of the spear is a key scene for me,the first one I got for this book and the one I held in my mind's eye the longest. The raising of Lord Grim and the healing of Molly are also favourites, plus the feast scene at the end when Peregrine and Molly dance and kiss.