The Not-So-Heroic Knight

by Blake Hoena, Pol Cunyat (Illustrator)

A knight in shining armor asks Thud and Blunder to join him on a heroic journey! But it leads to a deadly dungeon. The dungeon has lots of treasure! But it's guarded by the Ultra-Mega-Lich. The knight says he can easily defeat the monster! But his armor and sword look unused. How can two nine-year-old knights in search of adventure turn down such a Great Opportunity? Will the Ultra-Mega-Lich eat their souls? Will Thud and Blunder finally find fame and fortune? Find all the answers to everything--and MORE--in their greatest quest yet!

49 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2016

About the author

Blake A. Hoena grew up in central Wisconsin, where, in his youth, he wrote stories about robots conquering the Moon and trolls lumbering around in the woods behind his parents house, and the fact that the trolls were hunting for little boys had nothing to do with Blake’s pesky brothers. Later, he moved to Minnesota to pursue a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Since graduating, Blake has written more than thirty books for children, including retellings of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the Perseus and Medusa myth. Most recently, he’s working on a series of graphic novels about two space alien brothers, Eek and Ack, who are determined to conquer our big blue home.

--from the author's website

Reviews

[Merrilyn Tucker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in Twelvity Five A.D., two nine-year-olds, a girl (Thud) and a boy (Blunder) are young knights awaiting a quest. When an adult knight comes along, he promises to take them on his travels. It turns out that the knight is afraid of too much work and only wants the fame associated with his quests. He also loves to dance and seeks fame so he will be invited to a ball where he can pirouette and nae nae. In the end, Thud and Blunder help the knight by conquering an evil witch, thereby giving the knight the fame he sought. This is an easy-to-read chapter book, about 55 pages in length, with color digital illustrations on every other page. The humor and puns abound (although I didn't find them very funny). There are "Talk About the Tale!" and "Write About the Adventure!" sections at the end of the book, along with a glossary, information about the author and the illustrator. I am curious to see how kids respond to this book, which is one in a four-part series.