Review:
Roland Wright att the joust by Tony Davis
Ill. by
Gregory Rogers. Random House, 2008. ISBN 978174166329 7
(Ages: 7-12) This book highlights many positive human qualities,
including friendship, loyalty and perseverance. It is the third novel
in the Roland Wright series and shows Roland's progress as a page at
Twofold Castle.
Roland, supported by his pet mouse Nudge, is continuing on his path
towards becoming a knight and has been improving his sword fighting and
jousting skills under the mentorship of his hero, Sir Lucas.
While Roland is looking forward to his first tournament, Jenny
Winterbottom, a neighbour from his home village, unexpectedly arrives
at the castle and becomes a surprising ally of Roland. The startling
events of the tournament and the tension created by the antagonistic
Hector, significantly impact on Roland's attitude. He achieves a
greater understanding of what it truly entails to be a knight who
maintains a sense of courage, loyalty and compassion, in spite of the
unfortunate events that often arise in life. Roland is taught to
remember the difficulties and rejoice in the triumphs.
Tony Davis appears to have thoroughly researched the medieval era and
any unfamiliar terms are unobtrusively explained within the story. This
novel can be easily read and understood without reading the previous
books in the series. The characters are well rounded and all make
important contributions to the plot and the illustrations and language
are charming and often comedic. This story is likely to absorb
children's attention as they begin to care about Roland and his
ambitions and want to accompany him on his future adventures.
Louise Illingworth
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