Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz

Feb 23, 2013 Jason Koivu rated it 3 of 5 stars

Good lord! Sweet jesus!

The seventeen short skits of varying quality herein were created for school children...well specifically for one of those private schools with "The" before its name. You know, the ritzy titzy kind were it's a-okay if little Johnny skips his other classes for the rest of the day because he refuses to leave off the catapult-esque contraption he's working on for Ms. Schlitz's project on the Middle Ages. And when he fires rocks at the girls and breaks a window he is not suspen...more Good lord! Sweet jesus!

The seventeen short skits of varying quality herein were created for school children...well specifically for one of those private schools with "The" before its name. You know, the ritzy titzy kind were it's a-okay if little Johnny skips his other classes for the rest of the day because he refuses to leave off the catapult-esque contraption he's working on for Ms. Schlitz's project on the Middle Ages. And when he fires rocks at the girls and breaks a window he is not suspended or even given the slightest reprimand. Yes, the kind of school I wished I'd gone to... (sad Jay face)

Because the skits were created to be performed by students, the characters telling their tales are generally - though not entirely - young. There's plenty of sons and daughters of tradesmen, craftsmen, farmers, minor lords, and beggars, or barring that, they tend to be apprentices. The knowledge imparted, such as crop rotation, is the sparest summary of the basic sort of stuff you'd learn in an introductory history course for the time period. I have no complaints about this and only mention it so you're aware that Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! was created for the pre-highschool age. For instance, one skit does touch - and in a quite touching way - on the hardships of motherhood amongst the poorer classes but without delving into the graphic details of childbirth.

And now here are the complaints...

So apparently Medieval folk were very poetic. Even peasants were writing rhyming verse? Some of these lowly, uneducated folk can really string together some clever lines! Ridiculous. Another issue is that Schlitz (every time I write that I swear I can smell godawful stale beer) cheats. In order to make a point or relay information, she occasionally puts words into the mouths of people who'd never say them. It's especially noticeable in the upper class characters who essentially call themselves thieves, saying that they know they are cheating the peasants, when it's very likely they thought nothing of the kind, but rather that they were doing their duty as befit their rank. Taxation, for instance, was their right. Without that money how could they govern? It was the way of things and so why would they think any other way?

Aside from such complaints and my tepid 3 star rating, this is good for what it is. If you have a dozen or more kids you need to put on a play for or have a junior-high aged child you're home-schooling, this just might be what you're looking for.(less)

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Jan 27, 2008 Brandy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008reads, childrens, historical, for-work, experimental, library

I'll probably get comments from strangers on this, demanding I explain myself.

I don't think this should have gotten the Newbery medal.
I know I've ranted about the Newbery committee in the past, how they pick feel-good books with more emotional growth than plot development. And I know that the Newbery medal is for excellence in writing in children's books, not for engrossing material that kids will eat up with spoons. But they consistently choose books with more adult appeal than kid-appeal, boo...more I'll probably get comments from strangers on this, demanding I explain myself.

I don't think this should have gotten the Newbery medal.
I know I've ranted about the Newbery committee in the past, how they pick feel-good books with more emotional growth than plot development. And I know that the Newbery medal is for excellence in writing in children's books, not for engrossing material that kids will eat up with spoons. But they consistently choose books with more adult appeal than kid-appeal, books that well-meaning adults praise as "brilliant" or "insightful" while the intended audience (kids) is bored silly, and this is another of those books.

It's a good book, well-researched and presented in an engaging manner. The monologues and dialogues are a good way to introduce kids to medieval history. This isn't a book kids are going to stumble on and pick up as a pleasure read. It practically has "SCHOOL" written all over it. I think it's an excellent book to have in a school curriculum, and when the kids encounter it in history class, they'll really enjoy it. It is fairly dynamic, not the usual boring presentation of facts.

The writing is mostly okay--inconsistencies in style can be chalked up to different characters having different voices, but it's still jarring to have five or six voices in a row be in virtually indistinguishable verse, then switch to prose for one, then to rhyming verse. The sections in verse are a little clumsy; a stanza or two will be in a strict, regular iambic quadrameter, and then there's a line that's too short or too long, or stressed or unstressed in all the wrong places. It wouldn't trip the ear if not for the regularity of the rhythm preceding it.

Overall impressions: great book for school unit on medieval history. Excellent choice for facilitating class discussions, or for sparking an interest in further research in motivated students. Few kids will pick this up on their own, and for the ones that do, the uneven writing will discourage several from finishing.

3.5 stars, if I could.(less)

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Matriarchy I disagree about kids not liking this book, or only being exposed in a school setting. We are a homeschooling family. I can't recall where I saw the n...more
Apr 01, 2008 08:36pm

Kimberly I, too, was confused by the author using verse for the majority of the speakers and then switching to prose for a couple of them. Perhaps I was missin...more
Jan 21, 2009 03:09pm

Aug 02, 2012 The Library Lady rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids-nonfiction

Here's the Newbery winner. It's a 4 star book. But what kid is going to WANT to read it?
Don't get me wrong. I'd have read it. But I was heavily into Eleanor of Aquitaine, Robin Hood and medieval history (still am) and lapped up anything I could get on the subject.
Most kids weren't and aren't on my wavelength.

It's a beautifully designed book. It's well researched--her period details are spot on. But I'm not sure about the language--I don't think there are clear differences between the vocabulary...more

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Jan 17, 2008 Krista the Krazy Kataloguer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-childrens-books, read-newbery, read-childrens-poetry

Well this certainly deserved the Newbery Medal! Schlitz did a beautiful job of making the individual voices in the monologues and two dialogues sound true. Reading them all gives you a picture of what life was like for various classes of people in medieval times. The dialogues reminded me of Paul Fleischman's Joyful Noise, where sometimes the 2 people spoke together and sometimes they spoke alone. I like the concept of the book (monologues where every actor gets to be the star) and hope she writ...more

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Jan 31, 2011 Debra rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: chapter-books

A beautiful and well written book that most children would probably not stick with or much appreciate on their own. It begs to be done on the stage.

It was fairly riveting to a van full of children, ages 9 - 14, as we listened on a long road trip cross country. The competition was DVD movies, Game Boy and IPod. That says something.

My favorite piece was Jacob Ben Salomon - The Moneylender's Son and Petronella - The Merchant's Daughter. It portrayed two children, a Jew and a Christian, who go to t...more

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Aug 28, 2007 GraceAnne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-teach

My favorite children's book of the year (so far).
Seventeen monologues from young people in an English village about 1255. This is about as perfect a volume as could be. It's lovely, it's research is solid, Laura Amy Schlitz writes like an angel, teachers all over the country will be weeping with joy and relief, and librarians will love it. Not only that, I think the kids will, too. Fabulous.

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Sep 15, 2008 Joe rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Renaissance Faire enthusiasts

Shelves: newbery-medal, borrowed-library, middle-school-ya

It is not often that I find myself truly torn about a book's accolades. I find, however, that this is is true with Schlitz's 2008 Newbery winner, Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!

The book has numerous strengths. The art is reminiscent of medieval woodcuttings, and it is their simplicity that gives the collection of soliloquies a folksy, charming touch. It is not just the drawings that give the book its power. Schlitz has a wonderful sense of humor, as evidenced by the particularly amusing soliloquies...more It is not often that I find myself truly torn about a book's accolades. I find, however, that this is is true with Schlitz's 2008 Newbery winner, Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!

The book has numerous strengths. The art is reminiscent of medieval woodcuttings, and it is their simplicity that gives the collection of soliloquies a folksy, charming touch. It is not just the drawings that give the book its power. Schlitz has a wonderful sense of humor, as evidenced by the particularly amusing soliloquies of Lowdy (the varlet's child) and Mogg (the villein's daughter); additionally, the emotional range she expresses in verse is astounding. The story of Alice (the shepherdess) is a powerful ode to the connection humans feel to animals, and Schlitz masterfully captures the dueling waves of jealousy and guilt Barbary (the mudslinger) experiences. Furthermore, the historical notes peppered throughout the book are thoroughly intriguing and masterfully researched. (Librarians have a tendency toward exemplary research skills, and I applaud Schlitz for keeping the spirit alive.)

There are pitfalls, however, primarily in Schlitz's verse. Oftentimes her rhyming schemes are forced and jumbled, resulting in awkward phrasing that trips up the reader. The story of the aforementioned Lowdy, though amusing, is plagued by this problem as is the herky-jerky singsong of Otho (the miller's son). Additionally, Schlitz's ambition often gets the best of her, particularly in her dialogues, which come off as artsy and pretentious. It is hard to care about characters when their narratives overlap in convoluted and uneven tones that bury a message rather than bring it to light. Though well-intentioned, some of the monologues come across as preachy and bombastic in their language - certainly nothing that would attract children.

Which brings me to my final point, one that I'm sure is not novel in its criticism. Though it certainly has literary merit, Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! is hardly deserving of the Newbery Medal, especially in a year that produced The Invention of Hugo Cabret and The Wednesday Wars. While Newbery Medals are not always awarded to books toward which children will clamor, they are awarded for strong writing. Schlitz, to some degree, has failed on both accounts. Yes, some of her monologues are excellent (and they're all well-researched), but they're not always well-written. In fact, some of them come across as being dashed off in a matter of minutes - I'm looking at YOU, Jack (the half-wit) and Piers (the glassblower).

This book is a hard sell for children, even those interested in medieval history. It would be a wonderful resource for history teachers to use in order to bring their subject to life, but a book that has great (or any) appeal to children? No, not at all.(less)

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Apr 27, 2008 Marika Gillis rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens-books

The author of this delightful children's book, Laura Amy Schlitz, is a school librarian. She wrote this 2008 Newbery Award winner for a group of her students who were studying the Middle Ages. Her desire was to provide enough short plays so that each of the 17 children in each class could share equally in the performance and demonstration of this period of history.

And, boy, do the Middle Ages come alive in these plays!

Set in a medieval manor in England in 1255, these unforgettable and interconne...more

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Nov 11, 2008 Jess rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: History teachers from K-12 to undergrad, older kids interested in history

As a medieval historian and a mother, I'm constantly searching for books that talk about the middle ages in an accessible yet accurate way. Sure, there are lots of cute books out there about knights, and even some really good non-fiction for older kids (Usborne does it best). But this book completely deserves the Newberry Medal it got. The poetry is beautiful, the stories she tells for each character in the manor whom she profiles is moving, and the details are meticulously correct and add a lev...more

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Jul 19, 2008 Snorkle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: newbery-medal, juvenile, read-2008, review-on-blog

A collection of twenty-two plays depicting what life during the Medieval times might have been like.

I was very excited to read the 2008 Newbery Award winner and while this book did entertain me, I was disappointed with the content and didn't think that it deserved the medal. I liked the poems that you could perform as skits, they were amusing and did a fair job of describing Medieval life. I thought this was a good book, and that is its problem. It is only "good" not "outstanding" or "absolutely...more

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Nov 25, 2008 Natalie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Natalie by: Newberry Award list

Shelves: young-adult-books

Reading this engaging little book in November, I was impressed, once again, with the ease of my life and the multitude of my blessings, for which I am ever more thankful.

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! is a collection of short poems and prose giving voice to 23 young people tied to a medieval manor. Each is a soliloquy, originally intended to be recited as a class presentation about the Middle Ages. From the adventures of Hugo, the lord’s nephew, to the conniving of Giles, the beggar, we get a glimp...more

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Jan 04, 2008 Priscilla rated it 5 of 5 stars

From the moment this lovely book passed into my hands I felt in the presence of a true and gifted writer and educator. I think this book is one of the most accessible non-accessible-on-the-surface books for children I have seen in a long time. It is generous in its appeal, its delivery and its intent. The writing is clear and mystical enough to allow a reader to make that shift from this world to the next (in this case the medieval world)confidently. I have nothing but immense praise for this on...more

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May 11, 2013 Kaycee rated it 3 of 5 stars

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Is a book of monologues, most of which are written in verse. There are different types of poetry and each monologue is written from the perspective of a child living in a medieval village. In this way readers get to learn a lot about what it was like living in a medieval village of the time. Each child comes from a different profession and a different class and you learn about these professions, about their hardships, and even a little bit about their courting.

The bo...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Gale rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: medieval-young-adult, newbery-books

GOOD MASTERS, SWEET LADIES
Laura Schlitz

A Compassionate Microcosm of Medieval Mores

Author Schlitz has created a delightful format to introduce the painful truth of life in England at the close of the 13th century. Her goal is to offer some 17 contemporary students a chance to be a star on stage, as each one recites the sorry details of their medieval lives—where both physical and social survival were difficult. Even the son and daughter of the Lord of the manor do not have it easy. Jews and c...more

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Oct 16, 2012 Caitlin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Citation: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village, by Laura Amy Schlitz. (Candlewick, 2007). 96 pages. Informational.

Summary: This book uses dramatic monologues and dialogues to highlight the lives of 17 young people living and interacting in Medieval England. While the characters are not directly historical, the stories of their experiences are very factual and are supplemented with factual interludes and citations regarding the historical references, their jobs, their food,...more Citation: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village, by Laura Amy Schlitz. (Candlewick, 2007). 96 pages. Informational.

Summary: This book uses dramatic monologues and dialogues to highlight the lives of 17 young people living and interacting in Medieval England. While the characters are not directly historical, the stories of their experiences are very factual and are supplemented with factual interludes and citations regarding the historical references, their jobs, their food, their clothing and their dwellings.

Critique: a) Schlitz uses a poetic and theatrical approach to draw in young readers, helping them to learn the facts about the medieval times by “becoming” a young person in the manor. The completeness and accuracy of the content in this piece truly draws in the reader, giving a full picture of life at that time.

b) Despite their short length, each monologue is surprisingly thorough, giving a complete description of what each character may have been doing given their particular job or station in life. Schlitz expertly creates a piece in which, through the character’s voice, they describe what their day is like, or a particular moment in their recent life that was significant and why. She accurately portrays the depth of poverty in which many of them lived, and how life was so fragile, even for those in the higher stations. The amount of factual information included in each piece gives the reader (or actor) a full and genuine picture of medieval life.

c) In the portrayal of Mogg, Schlitz shows how a peasant’s family is beholden and basically owned by the lord of the manor. She explains, both accurately and emotionally, the heartbreak of losing her father, death being not-uncommon, but mostly upsetting because of what would then be owed to the lord. Mogg’s family would have been required to give a tax of part of their livestock, in this case, their only livestock and source of not only milk, but warmth in the winter. The lowest levels of poverty are described through Mogg’s descriptions of fear of losing their one valuable belonging.
Also, Schlitz includes several interludes of background history to help young readers interpret the importance behind the character’s descriptions. Her explanations of the Holy Crusades and the persecution of Jews in Medieval England are particularly enlightening, giving great depth to the characters of the Jewish boy and the knight’s son.

Curriculum Connection: This would make an excellent companion piece to any study in a social studies context of Medieval times. Even certain monologues taken separately could be used in that way. Also, the level of dialogue would be great for a reader’s theater activity in a language arts setting, particularly for a gifted class.
(less)

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Oct 02, 2012 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-books, drama, historical-fiction, newbery-winners

I'd been led to believe that this book would be a real snore by the stories citing it as an example that the Newbery commitee was out of touch and chosing books that children would never read. For what it is worth I loved it. This book lets you take a highly personal look at several children. None are incidental, I also found them to be telling a larger story that spans a long period of time. I always found it interesting when one monolougue would refer back to another. There were also several s...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Alicia Sanders rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: newbery-medal-winners, nonfiction

I did not expect to love this book so much, particularly since it's a combination of nonfiction and poetry (a little prose here and there), designed as a play with mostly monologues and a couple scenes for two children. The reason I loved it so much is that it didn't sugar-coat the Middle Ages, and it really did paint a picture of what it would have been like to live as different people in a medieval village. All the characters are children, of course, so seeing the medieval world through the ey...more

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Jan 31, 2012 Marfita rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Marfita by: goodreads recommendation engine

Shelves: children-s

Perhaps I was not sufficiently prepared for the poetry when I started reading this. Schlitz went to the trouble of explaining what she was doing and the reason for doing it, but a little more explanation about the style of writing as it related to each character would have been helpful. She went through the trouble of explaining the foreword! Why not the style? I wasn't sure if the "foot"notes (appearing in the margins) were intrusive or helpful. I suppose you could ignore them if you wished and...more

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Nov 07, 2011 Sara Hannon added it

1. Junior book, historical fiction

2. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! is a well-researched collection of monologues from a single medieval village. It details the lives of a range of village occupations, occasionally intermingling, as it gives the reader a sense of what it was like to live in that time period, whether you were a beggar or a monk or the son of a lord.

3. One criticism I have for this book is that it is really not a great book to just read. This book was truly meant to be read aloud. I...more 1. Junior book, historical fiction

2. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! is a well-researched collection of monologues from a single medieval village. It details the lives of a range of village occupations, occasionally intermingling, as it gives the reader a sense of what it was like to live in that time period, whether you were a beggar or a monk or the son of a lord.

3. One criticism I have for this book is that it is really not a great book to just read. This book was truly meant to be read aloud. It can be dry and difficult to follow when read to yourself, but it becomes infinitely more interesting when you begin to read it aloud. This is most apparent in the stories of The Glassblower's Daughters and Jacob Ben Salomon and Patronella, which are both meant for two actors. Just reading it in your head, you miss all the rhyme and rhythm and good bits of the story because you are trying to keep track of who is saying what and when. For example, in the Glassblower's Daughters, Mariot, the eldest, says "I'm not brave enough, I'm constantly shrinking - I should have more courage, and follow my conscience." and Maud, the younger, says "The truth of the matter is that Father is thinking of business and profit, of shillings and pence." (pg. 73)

But read by two characters, it would sound like this: (M for Mariot, m for Maud)'

m: The truth of the matter
M: I'm not brave enough
m; is that Father is thinking
M: I'm constantly shrinking-
m: of business and profit, of shillings and pence
M: I should have more courage and follow my conscience.

This gives us a much clearer picture of what is being said, it flows better, and it rhymes,

4. This book has so much potential in the classroom. It could certainly be used to introduce medieval culture. It would also be a great book to actually create a medieval village in the classroom. Because there are so many characters that all have different occupations, each child could be assigned to a different role and create their own village. It would be a hands-on way to introduce that period of history that is much more fun than just reading about it in a book. (less)

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Oct 23, 2011 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: all-ages, grad-school-texts

I so adored this book! As a teacher, there are so many amazing possibilities! My only wish is that this book were longer!
Or I wish there were more books like this, but on different time periods or different cultures :)

I can definitely see why this book won the Newbery. Here’s a few of many reasons:

One of the big themes in this book was empathy. Each monologue allowed you to understand and share the feelings of a medieval child. Upon finishing this book, readers will have empathy for how challeng...more I so adored this book! As a teacher, there are so many amazing possibilities! My only wish is that this book were longer!
Or I wish there were more books like this, but on different time periods or different cultures :)

I can definitely see why this book won the Newbery. Here’s a few of many reasons:

One of the big themes in this book was empathy. Each monologue allowed you to understand and share the feelings of a medieval child. Upon finishing this book, readers will have empathy for how challenging life was during that time no matter who you were. This makes the book standout as an exceptional piece of children’s literature because there is an emotional thread in what could have been a very fact-based text.

The setting of a medieval village truly comes to life in this book. Readers will love the addition of the map in the beginning of the book with each character labeled. the map is so detailed that you can see individual animals and the tools characters are holding. This alone brings the story to life, but then there are gorgeous illustrations on each page. Readers who are unfamiliar with the era are aided by the illustrations in visualizing the dress, buildings, and workings of the past. Boars, anvils, thatched roofs, glassblowing, knight’s armor, falconry, a mill are all illuminated by the illustrations and aid in bringing the setting to life.

The footnotes and nonfiction sections titled “A Little Background” also help to bring the setting to life. While many of my experiences with footnotes have been less than positive, the footnotes Schlitz provides of fun and fascinating and definitely geared towards her child audience. Such as the note on page 75 that “Frogs and eels were desirable sources of protein during the Middle Ages.” The nonfiction sections were connected to the monologues and provided more in depth background information on a variety of medieval topics. These sections usually came after the topic had been mentioned in a monologue, which meant the reader likely had an already invested interest. Oh! I just heard about the three field system! I wonder what that is? The pictures that accompanied the nonfiction texts were typically some of the largest pictures in the text, further drawing in the reader. These strategies were such a clever way to make nonfiction appealing and engaging as well as another way to pull readers into the medieval world!(less)

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Feb 28, 2011 Melody Savage rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: wholesome-teen-reads

This book would be an excellent book to use in a history or social studies class, as well as a theater or English class. The author recommends how this book could supplement a study of medieval times:
"I wrote these plays for a group of students at the Park school where I work as a librarian. They were studying the Middle Ages, and they were going at it hammer and tongs. They were experimenting with catapults and building miniature castles, baking bread and tending herbs, composing music and ill...more This book would be an excellent book to use in a history or social studies class, as well as a theater or English class. The author recommends how this book could supplement a study of medieval times:
"I wrote these plays for a group of students at the Park school where I work as a librarian. They were studying the Middle Ages, and they were going at it hammer and tongs. They were experimenting with catapults and building miniature castles, baking bread and tending herbs, composing music and illuminating manuscripts. I wanted them to have something to perform" (viii).
By either memorizing and performing or by just reading aloud, students can absorb part of the human experience of life during medieval times. The pieces are written in poetic form with some artful word play students could study to practice for reading and understanding Shakespeare and the times in which he set some of his plays.
Each monologue (there are also two dialogues) is a voice of a person from a medieval village. Each person represents a social class and occupation, and he describes feelings and interactions that may have been a part of his daily life. Otho, for instance, is the miller’s son. His monologue opens:
Father is the miller
As his father was of old
And I shall be the miller,
When my father’s flesh is cold.
I know the family business -
It’s been drummed into my head:
How to cheat the hungry customer
And earn my daily bread. (27)
Not only do we learn some realities about the miller’s trade, we also catch a glimpse of Otho’s feelings about it - his dad’s repetitious instructions and traditions have been given so often, he cannot mistake them.
Each monologue has realistic elements like those described above. Taken together all the characters’ monologues could help a classroom get an overview of the historical facts as well as the human side of history.
The book has great helps to further aid a student in understanding the times. A map at the beginning shows each character’s workplace or home in the village. Notes in the margins explain unfamiliar words or turns of speech. The word “fell” in the following lines has a different meaning: “Though I was born crookbacked,/ crippled, and fell,/ I will be cured at Saint Winifred’s well” (20). The margin note says, “Fell is an old-fashioned word for ugly and bitter” (20). In this one sentence, learning medieval language is dovetailed with learning the variety of problems people faced as well as religious beliefs and practices. Learning history is facilitated by visualizing the people of the time doing their daily work, speaking their words, dealing with their problems, using their tools, and otherwise walking in their shoes. The artwork compliments this process with pictures of people dressed in medieval-like clothing, and set in medieval homes and geography.
The parts of the examples above that might help students practice for reading Shakespeare are the old English words and the indirect descriptions and puns. Otho’s family business is to grind people’s grain into flour, but it is more than that, too; it is to do it in such a way that the customer is cheated out of some of his flour so the miller can feed his family. “Daily bread” has come to mean daily monetary earnings and food, but in this monologue it means quite literally, bread one would eat to sustain life which would come of the flour the miller takes from the villagers. Inexperienced readers of Shakespeare could begin to get a feel for the way he writes and for some of his subject matter with these poem/monologues.
This book is most suitable for ages 10-14. Parents need to be aware that death, homelessness, and abuse are addressed skillfully and realistically, but briefly.(less)

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Jan 28, 2011 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was pretty incredible. Technically a play (mostly a series of dramatic monologues), but reads like poetry. The writing is spare but evocative, and the pictures are great--they're not really medieval in style, but somehow they capture the time really well. The colors chosen--browns, certain shades of blue and red--are definitely reminiscent of medieval paintings I've seen.

Even though the book is aimed at children, Schlitz doesn't spare readers any of the horrifying details of medieval life....more

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Dec 12, 2010 Erin Reilly-Sanders rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, historical, juvenile, play

I had mixed expectations on this one. On one hand, it one the Newbery Medal. On the other hand, I had absolutely no interest in reading it and nor did anyone else I've spoken to. In the end, I'm surprised that it won an award, as it's really not that spectacular but I was also pleasantly surprised by the quality of some aspects on the book. On the positive side, I loved the format with the footnotes and the informational pieces interspersed within the monologues. The colored patterned bars added...more I had mixed expectations on this one. On one hand, it one the Newbery Medal. On the other hand, I had absolutely no interest in reading it and nor did anyone else I've spoken to. In the end, I'm surprised that it won an award, as it's really not that spectacular but I was also pleasantly surprised by the quality of some aspects on the book. On the positive side, I loved the format with the footnotes and the informational pieces interspersed within the monologues. The colored patterned bars added a richness to the white pages and allows for variation in a consistent format for each monologue as well as the interludes. The layout of the pages is attractive and the style of verse easy to read, which is especially important for something which might be read allowed. The illustrated really added to the book by introducing each story with a tiny vignette, allowing the child to picture the character, event and setting. The style is reminiscent of medieval art but instead of being an exact replica, is more accessible to the modern audience. At the same time though, lacking the richness of the colors of medieval art, the drawings really don't grab the reader's attention either. The cartoon-ish shapes could be designed to allow the child imagine more of the story while letting the room shapes add a playful childishness to the drawings, but I personally find them to be a little simple and forgettable. The map at the beginning of the book is also helpful and informative. While there is a good bibliography in the back, it seems to lack something in the authenticity department that really bugs me. For one thing, the author uses the conventions of modern English such as contractions which is not the problem in itself but the lack of author's note to explain the deliberate choice to use a mixture of modern and medieval language is particularly distressing. I also felt that a little bit more background information would help today's children connect to these very alien youngsters who are expected to behave much differently. I do wonder if the author possibly projected some of the thoughts and feelings of the modern h=child on to these children who likely had a much different thought process and desires that are tempered by their much more limited possibilities. In some ways, I would have liked to see the children presented as more of a different/foreign culture, rather than an ancestor of American/Western European White culture which many of some of the unspoken understandings. At least the author did a very good job of not romanticizing the time period. In all, it's mostly likable but really not the outstanding.(less)

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Aug 02, 2009 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Heads up to all of you who love Medieval Times. This book won the Newbery Award for 2007 and I think like many others, I was slow to read it because it didn’t “look like” a Newbery Award winner.
What a mistake. This book is so good! And it only takes about an hour to read! It was developed by a librarian for students studying the middle ages. It is a series of monologues about kids living at that time. The sidebars and inserted pages give historical details about what the children are talking ab...more

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Jul 24, 2009 Shel added it

Schlitz, L.A. (2007). Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

9780763615789

I have a bias here. When this award was named the Newbery winner of
2007, I glanced through it, asked why, and decided I wouldn't bother
buying it.

Flashforward to the present, I as a teacher desperately need an
activity to go with my discussion of the history of children's
literature. And Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! (Are the exclamation
points really necessary?) flashes into...more

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May 27, 2012 Tami rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, read-aloud-recommendation, the-arts

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! won the Newberry Medal in 2008. I am embarrassed to say that it has been sitting on my shelf since I bought it in 2009.

Ms. Schlitz has brought together a collection of monologues narrated by 22 separate characters from medieval times. They are wealthy, poor, tradespeople, servants and lords of the manor. They are almost exclusively children which is what offers this particular book the opportunity to appeal to young readers who might not ordinarily read about the tria...more Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! won the Newberry Medal in 2008. I am embarrassed to say that it has been sitting on my shelf since I bought it in 2009.

Ms. Schlitz has brought together a collection of monologues narrated by 22 separate characters from medieval times. They are wealthy, poor, tradespeople, servants and lords of the manor. They are almost exclusively children which is what offers this particular book the opportunity to appeal to young readers who might not ordinarily read about the trials and tribulations of daily life in the 13th Century.

Sandwiched between the short monologues are brief pockets of background information on many of the people and events to which the narrators allude. These include topics such as: the Three-Field System, Medieval Pilgrammages, the Crusades, Falconry and Jews in Medieval Society.

The book works as an independent read for an adult or a motivated young reader. It lends itself, however, to: (a) being a read-aloud with the goal of discussion or launching into a unit on medieval history, etc; or (b) performing each monologue/story for an audience in the tradition of theatre.

Because the details of the narratives are accurate regarding hunting practices and opinions on women and social hierarchies a teacher/director will want to choose which monologues are most appropriate to a given cast and audience.

The imagery of the language is rich and the indivual character voices are unique and genuine, varying from contentment to desperation and resentment to hope. The book transports the reader (or listener, as the case may be) to the middle of a typical 13th Century village. Through the voices of its inhabitants we enter their lives momentarily and leave with a greater understanding of the contents of their days, and of their minds and hearts as well. Through the experience of the individual stories the “typical” 13th Century village becomes very personal to us.

Although many thought this a strange choice for the Newberry Award in 2008 (including myself) its brilliance is blatant when you sit down to read it. I intend to incorporate it into my theatre teaching curriculum in as many ways as I can from this point forward.

If you are interested in medieval times, planning to teach a unit about it, or looking for some unique monologue and performance opportunities, do yourself a favor and read Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! It is an absolutely worthwhile read and an unbelieveably rich resource!
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Jul 25, 2010 Josh rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book accomplishes the goal it sets out to accomplish. It creates a 17 part play with no leads or star characters; a play where all the characters get equal time. While performing the play one would also learn a little bit about medieval history. Since this is a unique goal and appeals to certain ideas of what a book for children "should" do, the book won a big award. And because I happen to be reading all the Newbery award winners in order, I had to read the book. That being said I did not...more

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Mar 18, 2008 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, children-youth

This was an unusual book in that it is short vignettes of young people during the Middle Ages. A fan of Margaret Frazer's medieval mysteries a lot of the information was familiar to me but what a great way to have kids learn about history. The book is written with the expectation that each part about a particular youth is a monologue that could be done by students in a class...history and public speaking! Winner of the Newbery Award, this is definitely an original!

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Jun 12, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adolescent-lit, childrens, drama, historical-fiction, newberry-award, poetry, books-i-have-taught

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies is one of the recommended books for the first 7th grade unit in the 7th grade section of the this book http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12.... Since I am to use the maps set out in it, I have been reading some of the books which are recommended for the unit. One day after one of my boys had finished an assignment he came to me for something to do. Spying Good Masters on my desk he asked if he could read it. This is a boy who began the year proclaiming his loathing fo...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Brenna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Not your ordinary book of children's poetry, Laura Amy Schlitz' Newberry winning Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! is a collection of verse and prose meant to serve as one-person plays. Each medieval character's story is told convincingly: if one were to doubt the accuracy of the verse itself, the lengthy bibliography leaves the reader feeling sure this is as close a true glimpse into the time period (1255) as possible without moving into a hefty historical tome or out of children's literature.

The be...more

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