Ransom for a Knight

by Barbara Leonie Picard

Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal "A fine, authentic, historical tale, valuable for its picture of medieval times."— New York Herald Tribune In 14th-century England, Alys de Renneville sits alone in the loft of her manor house mourning her father and brother who are thought to have been killed in battle in Scotland. Late one evening, a strange knight appears and tells Alys that her father and brother are alive and being held for ransom by the Scots. When no one believes her story, she sets off secretly to rescue them herself. Traveling on horseback across the lush countryside and dense cities of medieval England, Alys is accompanied only by her friend and servant, Hugh. Alys and Hugh show great courage and determination, but the journey is arduous and they encounter many delays and hardships along the way. Will they reach Scotland in time to save Alys’s father and brother? "Her narratives have the ring of tales told by skald and bard, and her choice of words would fill great halls. Her literary fairy tales are lushly romantic, with poetic language and an almost other-worldly knowledge that informs and enriches them. Open one of her books and read it aloud. See how her words will still echo in the storytelling rooms and libraries that have become our great halls."—Janice M. Del Negro Barbara Leonie Picard  (1917–2011) was the author of over twenty-five books, all of which have received praise for the mature and thought-provoking fare they offer young readers. Her first book was published in 1949. Her works include five historical novels for young adults, many retellings of myths and epics—including the Odyssey and the Iliad, the story of King Arthur, and legends of the Norse gods—and collections of fairy tales. Several of her books have been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, the oldest children's book award in the UK. Paul Dry Books also publishes Picard's book One Is One .

Genres: Historical Fiction, British Literature, Fiction

314 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1956

About the author

Barbara Leonie Picard's first book was published in 1949, and was followed by over twenty more, all of which received praise for the mature and thought-provoking fare they offered young readers. She is well-known for her re-tellings of Homer, Gilgamesh, and ancient myths for young readers.

Reviews

[Emma Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have a weakness for medieval-setting stories, so I picked out this book to read without looking between the covers. If I had peered inside for a sample before committing to reading it, I never would have finished the book. The writing was too simple to interest me (and Picard has a horrible grasp of the purpose of semicolons), and I quickly realized that this book was devised as a manner of relating historical facts.

Don't get me wrong — I love historical fiction. I just prefer to read the type of historical fiction that feels as if it transports me back in time rather than the type that sounds like a chapter of a history book trying to play dress-up as an adventure novel.

Ten-year-old Alys de Renneville plays tour guide to the audience: Thanks to a knight suffering from a case of coincidental amnesia telling Alys alone that her father and older brother are alive, she sets off to save her family from the Scots who captured them at the battle of Bannockburn, accompanied on her journey only by her brother’s best friend, the slow and loyal Hugh (who is no more than a fourteen-year-old serf). They face many an adventure, all perfectly snipped into simple chapters with ready-made solutions to free them from every difficulty before they get into too much trouble.

Each chapter seems to have had its purpose in revealing some aspect, geographical or cultural, about England in the 1300s. For children who learn best by reading a story filled with facts, this book will certainly be useful as well as entertaining (and, to some, endearing), but it's too centered on depicting the mode of life to actually focus on the characters or even on the made-up parts of the tale.

In this book's defense, however, I will approvingly declare that it is free of romance: Alys was given no love interest, not even for a passing moment, and Hugh was interested only in protecting his best friend's little sister and achieving the rescue of the two hostages. Whatever people want to surmise about the children's hearts, they will have to invent for themselves, and that gave me no small degree of relief upon concluding the book — relief that I needed, because the end is sickeningly, sappily sweet.

[Stephen Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

My sister gave me this for my family's jólabókaflóð this past Christmas. It's a typical children's journey tale in many ways, but I was attracted to it because it is filled with historical details from the early fourteenth century—a period that has long been interesting to me—and because the route is similar to a trip I took last summer. The story describes how young Alys de Renneville travels to Scotland with her servant Hugh to ransom her father, an English knight who was captured at the Battle of Bannockburn. Picard rather convincingly portrays the hardships that two children traveling alone would encounter on their long journey north, though one imagines that the dangers would have been even more severe. Some episodes in the plot are more appealing than others; the story of a embittered but helpful witch was particularly interesting.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Completely charming children's story about 10 year-old Alys de Renneville who travels from Sussex to Scotland with her friend Hugh to ransom her father and brother who were captured during the Battle of Bannockburn in the fourteenth century.

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book from my childhood reading. Strong and adventurous young heroine read in the 1960s when such books were not commonplace. Loved it.

[Capn]

Unlike the rest of the community at Little Merdon, Alys de Renneville had never accepted the idea that her father and brother, known to have been captured by the Scots after the Battle of Bannockburn, were dead. Then one day she received in the form of a mysterious message news that they were indeed alive. But with the exception of her old comrade Hugh, nobody believed her, and so she was forced to decide on the course of action herself, little realizing the difficulties and dangers that would lie ahead.
Barbara Leonie Picard brings to life unforgettably for us the England and Scotland of the fourteenth century - the peace of a Sussex manor, the bustle of London, the lives of prosperous merchants of Nottingham and of wild Northumberland. Her book resembles a vast and colourful tapestry of medieval times, and is also a thrilling and a compassionate story.
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BARBARA LEONIE PICARD was born in Richmond, Surrey, but now lives in Sussex. While still at school she decided that one day she would write. In 1945 she started to write fairy-stories of the type she had enjoyed as a child, and of which she had never been able to find enough. She is the author of several retellings in the Oxford Illustrated Classics and Oxford Myths and Legends series.
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

-back cover of ISBN 0 19 272053 8, OUP, 1974, paperback

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

If i were to rate this by how much i enjoyed it, then it would have been given 2 stars. However, it was written for teen readers. For them , it was very good in that it tricked them into learning a bit of history while reading an easy engaging novel.

[Batool · Rating 5 out of 5]

So nice, just so good!!!!
At times I felt as if Alys an Hugh were in-love!!