Promotional Information

The Arthur trilogy already a huge success with fabulous reviews, very high profile, and rights sold in 15 countries A crossover book for the adult and children's market equally A uniquely contemporary take on the Arthurian cycle A fascinating picture of medieval life The Seeing Stone, the first book in the Arthur trilogy, won the Guardian Children's Book Award

About the Author

Kevin Crossley-Holland won the Carnegie Medal in 1985 for Storm and The Seeing Stone won the Bronze Award for the Smarties Prize and was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year Award. His many notable books for adults and children include poetry, classic retellings and anthologies. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Literature.

Reviews

"The Seeing Stone is being heralded as a classic in the making and pre-publication reviews include: "it is of course wonderful to read such a lyrical, authoritative and accessible retelling of the Arthurian legends.. best of all is the figure of Arthur de Caldicot, a true child of his time, would-be man of action and poet in spite of himself. I truly love this book." Jan Mark; "another sparkling tale from this master storyteller." Tara Stephenson in The Bookseller"

Gr 6-9-In this sequel to The Seeing Stone (Scholastic, 2001), Crossley-Holland continues the story of 14-year-old Arthur in 1200. In the first book, Merlin gave him an obsidian stone; in it, the boy scries the life of his namesake, King Arthur. Now, he has left his foster family to live with Lord Stephen as his squire in training. He's just been told that his blood-father is his foster father's vile brother, and that his mother remains a mystery. He's determined to find her, as he trains to accompany Lord Stephen when he joins the crusades. His seeing stone reveals the parallel lives of King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, the Knights of the Round Table, and other legendary characters that all mirror the mores and emotions of the protagonist's life. The book's length and the frequent shifts between both Arthurs' lives make for a challenging read despite the short 101 chapters that vividly depict 13th-century life with its chivalric codes, court etiquette of the highborn, and the hardscrabble lives of the lowborn. The action of the younger Arthur's life unfolds slowly, and it isn't until the end of the book that he finally begins his crusade by traveling to London where he learns that he's being sent to Venice, which sets the scene for the final book in the series. The character list at the beginning of the book is vital to keep track of all the characters and their relationships. Crossley-Holland's writing is lively, and King Arthur fans won't be disappointed.-Sharon Rawlins, Piscataway Public Library, NJ Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.