Shadow Music

Sample

Marguerite De Angeli

From the back cover of Scholastic Inc. copy of this book: By Marguerite de Angeli, recipient of the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, the Regina Medal, and the Newberry Medal. The bells clang above plague-ridden London as Robin lies helpless, cold, and hungry. The great house is empty, his father is fighting the Scots in the north, his mother is traveling with the Queen, and the servants have fled. He calls for help but only the stones hear his cries. Suddenly someone else is in the house, coming towards Robin to St. Mark's Monastery, where he will be cared for until his father sends for him. At last a message comes – Robin is to meet his father at Castle Lindsay. The journey is dangerous, and the castle is located near the hostile Welsh border. Perched high in the hills, the castle appears invincible. But it is not. Under the cover of a thick fog the Welsh attack the castle. And robin is the only one who can save it... “An enthralling and inspiring tale...Unusually beautiful illustrations, full of detail, combine with the text to make life in England during the Middle Ages come alive.” ~ *The New York Times*

Sample

S. H. Rigby

Whilst the Canterbury Tales are universally acknowledged as one of the great texts of English literature, there is perhaps less critical agreement about their meaning than for any other work in the English literary canon. In particular, critics and historians have been unable to reach any consensus about the social, political and religious values which Chaucer favoured. Did his writings represent a challenge to the dominant social outlook of his day or were they intended to reinforce the contemporary status quo? Was Chaucer a poet of profound religious piety or a sceptic who questioned all religious and moral certainties? Was he a defender of women or a misogynist whose writings reproduced the antifeminism characteristic of his time? How do Chaucer's works relate to medieval ideas about the nature and purposes of poetry? Do his pilgrims reflect the social reality of his day or were they the expression of traditional literary conventions? Writing as an historian, Rigby argues that instead of seeking to modernise Chaucer, we need to locate his work in the context of the thought, social issues and political controversies of Chaucer's own day.

Sample

Philippa Gregory

the breathtaking tale of Elizabeth Woodville, the woman whose beauty besotted a king Edward IV and won her a crown. Their love was worthy of legend and plunged the country deeper into chaos and later splendor. The first of Gregory's trilogy, the book captivated us with England's infamous civil war, where power was coveted by all, trust was a privilege, love forged in secret and both sides believed they were aided by God. At last we see the other side of the story, written by those often eclipsed by their male relations, for men go to battle but women wage war

Sample

Walter Scott

The father of the historical novel, Sir Walter Scott invented a literary form that has remained popular for over one hundred and fifty years. Infusing his works with romance, action, and suspense, he brought long-gone eras back to life with splendor and spectacle.Set in England just after the Third Crusade, Ivanhoe is the tale of Wilfrid, a young Saxon knight, and his love for the royal princess Rowena. With his father against their union, Wilfrid embarks on a series of adventures to prove his worth, finding himself in conflict against the Normans and the Templars, and allied with such larger-than-life figures as Robin Hood and Richard the Lion Hearted. A timeless story of courage, chivalry, and courtly love, Ivanhoe is a grand epic, and its place in classical literature is assured.