VIYTT7LL

Here's wishing it was longer! ( )

This book is a hilarious version of historical fiction that breaks the stereotype of the genre. Boys ages 8-11 will especially like reading about the silly adventures of Sir Lancelot. While the vocabulary in this book is large, it lends opportunity for learning and discussion with teachers/parents. Within the lighthearted adventures readers will find morals they can relate to, like 'the grass is always greener on the other side' and 'friendship is lasting.' Also check out the rest of the series! ( )

I don't like Arthurian stuff. I just don't. It's messy and tragic and all those knights are confusing and I had a bad run-in with the literary symbolism of Sir Gawain in college and if you read the older stories the language is impossible and if you read the new ones they sound dumb....you get the point.

But. I have found an Arthurian series I like. In fact, I laughed myself sick (literally, since I had a bad cough when I first read this and laughing set it off. very painful). And it's a beginning chapter book! Not enough of them around, especially good funny ones like this!

All I'll say is that it involves shiny armor, love-sick ladies, and afternoon naps....

Verdict: Not to be read while drinking milk.

ISBN: 978-0618777143; Published May 2008 by Houghton Mifflin; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library

Reviewed by Jaglvr for Kids @ TeensReadToo.com

Everyone knows the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. And everyone knows that Sir Lancelot was the most famous and bravest night of the group. Mr. Morris has taken the story of Lancelot and made it entertaining and fun for readers of all ages.

THE ADVENTURES OF SIR LANCELOT THE GREAT is the first book in the new THE KNIGHTS' TALES series. In this retelling of Sir Lancelot, Mr. Morris makes Lancelot humorous and quite the whimsical knight.

Lancelot hears that the knights of King Arthur are the best and shiniest in the lands. So he leaves his father and his home country, France, on a quest for the world-famous knights. On his journey, he winds up in a rain storm, making his armor quite muddy. In his attempts to clean his armor to present himself to the Court of King Arthur, he is attacked by sixteen different knights. As his right hand was busy cleaning his armor, he managed to defeat all sixteen by using his left hand. Little did he know, he had stumbled into the midst of a tournament and unknowingly wins.

As with all the adventures in this quick read, Mr. Morris makes the story humorous when it is revealed that this very tournament was for King Arthur himself.

Readers of all ages will delight in the amusing adventures that Lancelot finds himself faced with. He gets caught in a tree, tied up by four queens, and becomes a reclusive forest man. Aiding the storytelling are the equally entertaining illustrations done by Aaron Renier.

I found myself laughing while reading this story and look forward to the next book in the series, THE ADVENTURES OF SIR GIVRET THE SHORT, due out in October 2008. ( )