The Ballad of Sir Dinadan by Gerald Morris; Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston, 2003; $15 “What do you want to be when you grow up?” All of us children have been plagued by that awful question time and time again. Either we dutifully dole out a rehearsed answer, or we smile, saying we haven’t decided quite yet. But what if we really didn’t have a choice? What if our future had been chosen for us, before we were born, and we couldn’t change it, no matter what happened? I’m sure most children today would hate to be in a situation like that. However, this was not uncommon in the times of kings and knights, as is so wonderfully portrayed by Gerald Morris in his book, The Ballad of Sir Dinadan. Dinadan loves to play the rebec, an ancient stringed instrument, and to make up ballads about great knightly deeds. Unfortunately, a minstrel’s life is not for him. Because of his family stature, Dinadan is expected to become a great knight of the Round Table, like his famous brother, Sir Tristram. Dinadan is very upset about this. He would much rather sing about knightly deeds than perform any of his own! But he has no say in the matter, and at age eighteen, Dinadan is knighted and sent out into the world to make a name for himself in King Arthur’s court. Right away, he runs into adventure. From fighting duels to saving damsels in distress, Dinadan is always in a predicament, and the reader is constantly enthralled by his many adventures. I loved the way Gerald Morris did not make all of the knights into flawless heroes, like other King Arthur stories I have read. Each of the knights had good and bad personality traits and some were very funny in their stupidity. For example, in some other books, the characters of Sir Kai and Sir Bedivere are very noble and knightly, but they don’t have very much personality. However, in this book, Bedivere is a kind person who couldn’t hurt a fly, and will go far out of his way to help the most horrible people. His opposite and his best friend, Kai, is pessimistic and sarcastic. I loved reading about the hilarious pair that they made together. In my history class, I read the love story of Tristram and Iseult. I thought it was very boring, and when I found out that it was in this book, I was unexcited. However, when I read the book, I was pleasantly surprised. The story was much more realistic and funnier than in my history textbook. In fact, one of my favorite characters in this entire book was Dinadan’s brother, Tristram. He is a famed knight throughout the land, but when Dinadan meets him, he turns out to be a bumbling idiot who is extremely irritating and talkative. One of my favorite things about this book was the music. I am a very musical person; I play several instruments, and I sing in a choir. I would love to be able to write music, but I’m a terrible composer. Thus, I was all the more impressed with all the wonderful (and often funny!) ballads that Dinadan made up on his quests. I wish I could make up such great songs like that! This book truly gave me a lot of respect for the minstrels of King Arthur’s day. Nikki Friedman, 13Piedmont, California
Book-Reviews
Where in the World
Where in the World by Simon French; Peachtree Publishers: Atlanta, 2003; $14.95 Have you ever not wanted to do something, but been forced to do it anyway? Ari, a boy with an extraordinary gift for music, certainly was in Where in the World when Mr. Lee, his music teacher, tried to make him play the violin at an end-of-the-year recital. As I read I thought about how much like me Ari was. I was nervous the first time I played a piano in front of people I didn’t know because I was afraid that I would make a mistake and look foolish. Since I got a lot of encouragement from my parents, grandparents and music teacher I got up the courage to try even though I was still scared. As soon as I began to play I forgot that I even had an audience until they started to applaud at the end. Now I look forward to concerts. A similar situation happened to Ari too. Ari enjoyed playing the violin for fun and for his parents’ enjoyment but he didn’t want to play at the end-of-the-year recital because he was embarrassed about playing the violin. He was afraid that other children would tease him. One day while his friend, Thomas, was over, Ari’s grandfather called on the telephone and asked to hear Ari play the violin. After he was done Thomas asked Ari whether he would play some more songs for him because he thought they sounded beautiful. Ari thought Thomas was teasing him and he put the violin away. Several weeks later Ari’s stepfather, Jamie, asked Ari whether he would consider playing the violin for his mother’s birthday at the café his parents owned. Ari’s mother and Jamie always played music to entertain the customers after dinner. Ari said that he would consider it. He didn’t know what to do but finally he made up his mind to play at the café because he loved his mother so much and wanted to make her proud. When he did he discovered that he liked playing in front of other people. He and the audience appreciated each other. That was the turning point where he realized that he could play at the recital without any fears. The author, Simon French, can make you feel sad, happy, or even disappointed for Ari. One point where I particularly noticed this was when Ari’s grandfather died. Even though none of my grandparents have died I can’t imagine life without any of them. After his grandfather died Ari said that he never wanted to play a violin again. This was probably due to the fact that his grandfather had taught him to play the violin. His parents told him how much talent he had and encouraged him to develop that talent and not let it go to waste. He realized that his grandfather would want him to continue playing. Mr. Lee was hired to teach Ari. As I read I realized that it’s impossible to go through life always getting your way. Sooner or later someone will make you do something you don’t want to. New experiences can be scary but can lead to exciting new opportunities. I strongly recommend this book. It is impossible not to like Ari and sympathize with the difficult situations that he has to overcome. Whether the reader is a musician or not all of us have to face trying new situations as we grow. Bill T. Hallahan, 10Nashua, New Hampshire
Days of Jubilee
Days of Jubilee by Patricia C. and Fredrick L. McKissack; Scholastic Press: New York, 2003; $18.95 The Declaration of Independence says that all men are created equal, with certain unalienable rights, which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. At one point in American history, that wasn’t true for millions of African-Americans in bondage throughout America. Scattered throughout the book were first-person narratives, which I greatly enjoyed reading. These stories about slaves and others were mixed with interesting facts about the Civil War. I also liked reading from the slaves’ perspective, and their stories touched my heart. James Forten, a free African-American, was the very first story and it was also the best, in my opinion. I felt his courage inside of me, as he stood listening to the first reading of the Declaration of Independence. He stayed to listen to the reading even though he was bullied by white men. James was overjoyed when he concluded that in this new country, people of color would be free. James eagerly joined the Revolutionary Army to help fight for freedom. I had his hope inside of me, as he believed that now, in this new world, his fellow brethren would have their freedom. And although the book didn’t mention it, I also felt his pain. I knew he would have later, when he learned that his fellow black men would stay in bondage for many more years. I admire him because he stood up for himself and his race. Many years later, Abraham Lincoln also joined the fight for the abolition of slavery. He was the main force behind the emancipation of slaves, but he didn’t start out that way. I was surprised, and almost shocked, to learn that the Great Emancipator had doubts about abolishing slavery at the beginning of the Civil War. Now I see that he changed as the war went on; he made the war not just a fight for reuniting the Union, but also a fight for abolishing slavery. Abraham Lincoln was a great, brave leader, and he’s my hero. Another leader at that time was General William Tecumseh Sherman. I believe General Sherman was a great man, and he shared many traits with Lincoln. Sherman treated the slaves fairly, giving them jobs with the army if they wanted. The newly freed blacks called him the Deliverer, somebody like Moses who came to set the people free. The book was very well written, so well that as I read, I could envision myself celebrating among the freed slaves. I loved reading about the different days they called their Jubilee, such as Juneteenth and Eightamay. I felt their joy, hope, and happiness. I could imagine their delight, and feel their pride as they walked away from their former masters, free once and for all. As I read on, I also felt a sadness welling up inside of me, as I read about that fateful night at Ford’s Theatre, where Abraham Lincoln was shot and killed. My heart mourned with all of the people. I felt the loss that happened so many years ago, and yet was recreated in my head, allowing Lincoln to live and die once again. Days of Jubilee is a very good book. It teaches about a different time, different people, and different lifestyles. It opens you up into a whole new world. Laura Krull, 12Bend, Oregon
