false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1181225959m/1128670.jpg 1128670 16 <I>"Tumber Hill! It's my clamber-and-tumble-and-beech-and-bramble hill! Sometimes, when I'm standing on the top, I fill my lungs with air and I shout. I shout."</I><p> As <I>The Seeing Stone</I> opens, exuberant young Arthur has no idea what adventure lies ahead. A 13-year-old growing up in 12th-century England, Arthur soon discovers that his life parallels that of another Arthur, son of Uther centuries past, the legendary boy king "who was and will be." The second son of Sir John de Caldicot, lord of a manor near the Welsh border, Arthur narrates his everyday life in the Marchland in 100 clipped chapters of crisp, melodic prose. But his destiny entwined with that other, ancient Arthur is revealed only in snatches, after he receives (courtesy of our old friend Merlin) a piece of obsidian, a seeing stone, through which a well-woven story within a story unfolds.<p> But rather than the fantasy of T.H. White's <I>The Sword in the Stone</I>, Kevin Crossley-Holland offers a convincing and meticulously researched account of what life might have actually been like for a curious, capable, earnest young man in this peculiar time and place, with all its customs, rituals, and regimented routine and social structure. In a well-paced story that alternates between drama, comedy, and even a little mystery, Arthur tackles some surprisingly sophisticated topics, whether he's questioning the pompous priest Oliver (is the poverty on the manor truly part of God's will?), pestering his father over his plans for him (will he become a squire, as he wishes, or a monk or priest or school man?), or just contemplating his place in the scheme of things under the blue sky atop Tumber Hill. <I>The Seeing Stone</I> is a fun, involving read for kids, but will hold grownup attentions, too, with its flowing language, dense period detail, and all the questions that it asks--and doesn't always answer. (Ages 9 to 12) <I>--Paul Hughes</I> 1178766 book 2000 The Seeing Stone (Arthur) total:388|5:5|4:15|3:5|2:3|1:0| 388 1442 568 56 0 1 false false Mon Jun 16 15:49:48 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 16 16:17:18 -0700 2008
what i learned from the first sequal would b...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jun 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 09 07:31:19 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 09 07:35:01 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Sep 01 13:06:55 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 01 13:07:45 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Fri May 09 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Aug 04 11:33:10 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 05 08:15:08 -0700 2008
Personally, the King Arthur bits felt a bit pointless and I didn't...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Wed May 07 21:03:00 -0700 2008 Wed May 07 21:03:16 -0700 2008
His...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Feb 03 04:36:42 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 03 04:38:04 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jan 25 18:37:34 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 25 20:37:48 -0800 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Jul 09 20:37:26 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 09 20:39:53 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jan 19 12:05:02 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 19 12:08:22 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Nov 21 09:49:29 -0800 2008 Fri Nov 21 10:05:01 -0800 2008 1
This is a very good start to a series and a young adult novel that shoul...more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Feb 10 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Apr 20 18:10:25 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 20 18:14:24 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 1 0 false false Fri Jul 03 15:47:17 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 03 15:50:09 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sat Oct 04 09:36:39 -0700 2008 Sat Jan 24 11:58:25 -0800 2009 The books are set up as 100 short chapters or journal entries, written by Arthur de Caldicott, a 13 year old squire living in Britain in the year 1...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 21 09:17:44 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 21 09:19:35 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Sat Jan 10 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 14 18:13:59 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 14 18:15:51 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Wed Feb 25 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 25 16:52:34 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 25 17:09:46 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Tue Mar 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 12 13:27:17 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 17 06:58:28 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Mon Jun 14 00:00:00 -0700 2004 Sun Aug 09 19:58:17 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 09 20:07:08 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Nov 10 12:01:44 -0800 2008 Tue Nov 11 17:37:22 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Nov 16 05:27:19 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 16 05:28:08 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=1128670