THE YOUNGEST TEMPLAR: KEEPER OF THE GRAIL
MICHAEL P. SPRADLIN
Historical Fantasy YA
Putnam
ISBN 978-0-399-24763-7
272 Pages
$17.99
Trade--Available Now
Rating: 4.5 Enchantments
When the Knights of Templar arrive to spend the night at the St. Alban's Abbey, young orphan Tristan couldn't know his life is about to change forever. But he soon agrees to become the squire of the kind Sir Thomas; and not soon after Tristan is the victim of a violent attack in the stables and that's all before they've left for Dover, a short stop before they begin their trek to Outremer, the Holy Land.
I absolutely loved KEEPER OF THE GRAIL. It really felt like you were going back in time to the time of King Richard, the Lionheart and the Crusades. Tristan is a wonderful character, very brave and adventurous. I really enjoyed the mystery surrounding his real identity, the odd way the King looked at him, what Sir Thomas really knows about him. Sir Hugh was truly an evil villain, with his ire for Tristan visible almost right off the bat when the poor boy hadn't done anything wrong. The rest of the characters are equally strong and well done.
One of my favorite scenes in the book takes place shortly after Tristan becomes squire to Sir Thomas. In the midst of a training session with his new friend Quincy, the awful Sir Hugh approaches and tries to 'teach Tristan a lesson', the young squire manages to evade the brutal attack until Sir Thomas approaches and pulls Sir Hugh away. That's when Tristan overhears the first hint that there's more to his real identity than he knows or could even suspect. This is a wonderfully detailed, exciting adventure guaranteed to keep you turning the pages till you reach the very last word. If you love historical YA, this is one book you don't want to miss. Look for the second in the series, THE YOUNGEST TEMPLAR BOOK TWO: TRAIL OF FATE coming in Fall 2009.
Michael P. Spradlin is the author of more than a dozen books for children. When not writing, he enjoys reading, traveling, spending time with his family and worrying over the fact that he really should be writing instead of doing other stuff. He lives in Michigan with his wife Kelly, son Michael, daughter Rachel and two dogs Willow and Apollo.
To learn more about THE YOUNGEST TEMPLAR, visit Michael's website:
http://www.michaelpspradlin.com/books/youngest-templar/main.php or the official website of the book: http://www.theyoungesttemplar.com/
Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
November 2008
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