Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz

Description: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! by Laura Amy Schlitz, Robert Byrd Inspired by an illuminated poem from 13th-century Germany, this witty, historically accurate collection--the winner of the 2008 Newbery Medal--forms an exquisite bridge to the people and places of medieval England. Full color. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Newbery Medal Winner! Step back to an English village in 1255, where life plays out in dramatic vignettes illuminating twenty-two unforgettable characters.Maidens, monks, and millers sons — in these pages, readers will meet them all. Theres Hugo, the lords nephew, forced to prove his manhood by hunting a wild boar; sharp-tongued Nelly, who supports her family by selling live eels; and the peasants daughter, Mogg, who gets a clever lesson in how to save a cow from a greedy landlord. Theres also mud-slinging Barbary (and her noble victim); Jack, the compassionate half-wit; Alice, the singing shepherdess; and many more. With a deep appreciation for the period and a grand affection for both characters and audience, Laura Amy Schlitz creates twenty-two riveting portraits and linguistic gems equally suited to silent reading or performance. Illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings by Robert Byrd — inspired by the Munich-Nuremberg manuscript, an illuminated poem from thirteenth-century Germany — this witty, historically accurate, and utterly human collection forms an exquisite bridge to the people and places of medieval England. Author Biography Laura Amy Schlitz is the author of the Newbery Medal–winning Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village, the Newbery Honor Book and New York Times bestseller Splendors and Glooms, and several other books for young readers. A teacher as well as a writer, Laura Amy Schlitz lives in Maryland.Robert Byrd teaches childrens book illustration at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. He is the author-illustrator of many books, including Leonardo: Beautiful Dreamer; Finn Maccoul and His Fearless Wife; and The Hero and the Minotaur. He also illustrated Laura Amy Schlitzs first book for children, The Hero Schliemann, about the life of a nineteenth-century amateur archaeologist. Robert Byrd lives in Haddonfield, New Jersey. Review Schlitz is a talented storyteller. Her language is forceful, and learning slips in on the sly.—The New York TimesBolstered by lively asides and unobtrusive notes, and illuminated by Byrds stunningly atmospheric watercolors, [the monologues] bring to life a prototypical English village in 1255.—Publishers Weekly (starred review)Brilliant in every way.—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)Outstanding.—School Library Journal (starred review)A vivid, convincing portrait of medieval adolescence.—Bulletin of the Center for Childrens Books (starred review)A rewarding choice for performance or for reading aloud in the classroom.—Booklist (starred review) Review Quote Winner of the 2008 Newbery Medal "Brilliant in every way." Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "A vivid, convincing portrait of medieval adolescence." Bulletin of the Center for Childrens Books (starred review) "Bolstered by lively asides and unobtrusive notes, and illuminated by Byrds stunningly atmospheric watercolors, [the monologues] bring to life a prototypical English village in 1255." Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Schlitz gives teachers a refreshing option for enhancing the study of the European Middle Ages: here are seventeen monologues and two dialogues that collectively create a portrait of life on an English manor in 1255." The Horn Book Excerpt from Book NELLY THE SNIGGLER I was born lucky. Nay, not born lucky, as you shall hear - but lucky soon after and ever after. My father and mother were starving poor, and dreaded another mouth to feed. When my father saw I was a girl-child, he took me up to drown in a bucket of water. But heres the lucky part - and tis pure sooth. I didnt drown, babe though I was. I took hold with my wee fingers and held to the side of the bucket (1). And my mother wept, and my fathers heart went soft, and he could no more drown me than himself-and they named me Nelly, for Queen Eleanor (2). And their luck changed. First my uncle died of the scurvy and we got his pigs. Then the nuns at the abbey hired us to catch eels - and weve been sniggling ever since (3). Do you see these eels? Fresher than the day they were born - and fat as priests. I know where their burrows are, and I know what they like for bait. And as for frogs - Ive been catching frogs since I was two years old; theres not a frog in Christendom jumps fast enough to get away from me - and I can swim as fast as any boy - and better than Drogo, the tanner! Do you know Drogo, the tanners apprentice? I cant point him out to you, because hed see me. Hes always staring at me. Manys the time Ive seen him peel off his hose to show me his legs - as if every frog Ive ever put into a pie didnt have better legs than his! We had a brawl last summer. I said twas the fault of the tanners that the river stank, and he said twas the fishmongers. Which is pure folly: tis surely Gods will that fish should rot in the water, but the beasts should rot on the land. I put out my tongue, and by Saint Peter (4), he pushed me right off the wharf into the water. And then, poor fool, he thought I would drown - I, who couldnt drown when I was three hours old! He splashed in after me, and I dove down deep and grabbed his foot - and I ducked him three times, and serve him right. Only then I had to drag him out of the water - because it turns out, he cant swim! So I suppose you could say I saved his life. Hes never forgotten it. He watches me all the time - and shows off his legs. But I dont speak to him; I want nothing to do with him and his legs. I pretend I dont even know his name - and every day I walk past the tannery, just so he can see me not looking his way. **************** 1. Newborn babies have strong fngers and an instinct to hold on. The story about a baby catching hold of the bucket in which her father meant to drown her is true. The original plucky newborn was a woman named Liafburga, who lived around 700 a.d. (G.G. Coulton, The Medieval Village) 2 Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204) was a legend in her own time. 3 A sniggler is a person who catches eels by dangling bait into their holes in the riverbank. Frogs and eels were desirable sources of protein during the Middle Ages. 4 Saint Peter was the patron saint of fishermen. DROGO, THE TANNERS APPRENTICE I dont mind the stink- I grew up with it, being the son of a butcher. Dead things stink; thats the will of God, and tanners (1) make good money. I dont mind the work- digging the pits grinding the oak bark smearing the hides with dung. Work is work. I like bread in my belly and ale in my cup. I do mind the jeering of Nelly the sniggler- her tongue could scrape the hair off a hide! And I mind the townsmen nattering on, saying we foul the waters (2). By Saint Bartholomew (3), thinkst thou a man can make leather without filth? Alum, lime, oak galls, urine, ashes, tallow, and stale beer- these are the tools of my trade. Would you warm your hands in leather gloves? Saddle or bridle your horse? Do you dance to the sound of the bagpipes, or lace up the cords of your armor? What about the bellows, heating the forge? Its leather - stinking leather! Do you want good shoes or dont you? So be it. Now, let me get on with my scraper and dung. You hold your nostrils - and hold your tongue. **************** 1 A tanner is someone who cures animal hides to make leather. 2 Polluted waters are not just a contemporary problem. Almost everything that tanners used was poisonous. People like fishermen and brewers, who needed the rivers to be clean, were always at war with the tanners. 3 Saint Bartholomew, who was skinned to death, was the patron saint of tanners. The logic of this is macabre, but not unique. Saint Sebastian, who was shot full of arrows, is the patron saint of archers; Saint Laurence, who was roasted alive, is the patron saint of cooks. We wont even talk about what happened to Saint Erasmus - its too disgusting. ___________ GOOD MASTERS! SWEET LADIES! by Laura Amy Schlitz, illustrations by Robert Byrd. Text copyright (c) 2007 by Laura Amy Schlitz. Published by Candlewick Press, Inc., Cambridge, MA. Details ISBN0763643327 Author Robert Byrd Short Title GOOD MASTERS SWEET LADIES Language English Illustrator Robert Byrd ISBN-10 0763643327 ISBN-13 9780763643324 Media Book Format Paperback DEWEY FIC Year 2008 Imprint Candlewick Press,U.S. Subtitle Voices from a Medieval Village Place of Publication Massachusetts Country of Publication United States Audience Age 10-14 DOI 10.1604/9780763643324 AU Release Date 2008-12-23 NZ Release Date 2008-12-23 US Release Date 2008-12-23 UK Release Date 2008-12-23 Pages 96 Publisher Candlewick Press,U.S. Publication Date 2008-12-23 Illustrations 4-COLOR Audience Children / Juvenile We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:18185397;

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