Adkins, Jan. What if you met a knight? Illustrated by Jan Adkins. Roaring Brook Press, 2006.
ISBN 1596431482. $16.95. 32 p.
Reviewer: Reynolds, Kate
Reading Level: Intermediate, Young adult
Rating: Excellent
Genre: Informational books; Picture books;
Subject: Knights and knighthood--Juvenile literature; Books--Reviews;
Adkins has produced a second informative and funny historical view of a romanticized
group. His first book in this vein focused on pirates and this one focuses on knights. He
disabuses notions of chivalry and perfection in knights of the Middle Ages in favor of a more
realistic look at life in medieval times and the place of knights. His narrative is informal but
crammed full of useful, interesting information.
He describes life in the Middle Ages using Sir Guy of Wareham as his subject, talking
about his duties as farmer, merchant, judge, banker, investor, planner and more--taking the
mythology out and providing the truth. Concise and informative, this book is a good addition for a classroom collection on the Middle Ages and a must have in an elementary library.
