fivekiwis Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 I just clued into her books and was thinking about checking out some of them for my 9.5 year old to read. What are your experiences -- thumbs up or thumbs down?? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musical Belle Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 This year ds 10 read Black Ships Before Troy and The Wanderings of Odysseus when we studied the Greeks. He enjoyed them and we are planning to read others as they coincide with our history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissa123 Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 I agree - Black Ships Before Troy and The Wanderings of Odysseus are great. (Don't know if this would be an issue for you, but we read the picture book versions, and my 11 year old daughter found the pictures a bit disturbing/scary.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alana in Canada Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Our library actually has two picture ook versions available. I think it was the one with pictures by a Victor Ambrose which were the most disturbing (to me). They didn't phase my son, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liza Q Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 I would pre-read her other books, as I think that 9.5 may be young for some of them. We have read many of her books and loved them! Some were just more violent/intense than others, so I read each one first and then decided which girl could read them at which age. The most mature title of the ones I read was The Mark of the Horse Lord. They read that one at 14/16. - jmo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 My 7yo loved her Arthurian trilogy -- The Sword and the Circle, The Light Beyond the Forest, and The Road to Camlann. It doesn't shy away from Arthur's incest or the relationship between Lancelot and Guenever, but neither does it go into significant detail. Her other Arthur book, The Sword at Sunset, is more appropriately young adult/adult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 My son (4.7) loves Black Ships Before Troy and The Wanderings of Odysseus as read alouds (the Alan Lee illustrated versions). We're just finishing another go-round. Top notch! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 This year ds 10 read Black Ships Before Troy and The Wanderings of Odysseus when we studied the Greeks. He enjoyed them and we are planning to read others as they coincide with our history. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 I just clued into her books and was thinking about checking out some of them for my 9.5 year old to read. What are your experiences -- thumbs up or thumbs down?? Thanks! I personally have read all that I can get my hands on. My kids have read and enjoyed the Aurthurian trilogy, Black Ships before Troy and Wanderings of Oddyseus. I think that her books like Eagle of the Ninth and Outcast are great books, but are hard read alouds. I would not give the book about Queen Boudica to a young reader. Boudica was abused by Romans and took a calculating revenge out later. It is not described graphically, but it is referred to and is a turning point in the story. Similarly, Tristain and Iseult is very well written, but is still the story of a love triangle and betrayal. It is also worth remembering that her books are usually set in either a war or the chaos of a disintegrating culture (the fall of Roman Britain or the rise and fall of Arthur's court). You can't really stay sunny in the face of that setting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plimsoll Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 We have Black Ships Before Troy and The Wanderings of Odysseus. I used them this year for literature for my 3rd and 5th graders. Two thumbs up! These two books are great. We then tried reading the next book in her sequence of historical fiction books, Flowers for Adonis, and my son found it boring. However, this may just be him. I am discovering that although he loves to read about history, he is not overly fond of historical fiction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shasta Mom Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 She is quite high up on our list - We've read most that are mentioned - her Arthurian trilogy I didn't have time to read to 9 yo ds,but we did Beowulf, and the Black Ships before Troy and Wanderings of Odysseus. I just finished the Arthur books - I hold her in high regard as an author.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 The books by Sutclif which have been mentioned thus far are not the ones my boys liked. We fell for all of her books set in Roman Britain ! (I had read them as a child.) They may even be out-of-print by now, and available only by scouring the used market. When our family started hs'ing, fifteen years ago, all of these were sold in the standard chain bookstores. Not any more. :smash: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 The books by Sutclif which have been mentioned thus far are not the ones my boys liked. We fell for all of her books set in Roman Britain ! (I had read them as a child.) They may even be out-of-print by now, and available only by scouring the used market. When our family started hs'ing, fifteen years ago, all of these were sold in the standard chain bookstores. Not any more. :smash: Are you thinking about Frontier Wolf, The Shield Ring, and The Lantern Bearers? And Knight's Fee? Not Roman Britain, though. The Lantern Bearers is one of a set of three that are not necessarily a trilogy, but fit together. The other two are The Eagle of the Ninth and The Silver Branch. These are for older readers, and have recently been reissued with somber covers (!). I, too, have been reading everything by her that I can get my hands on. We love her books. I found the Eagle to be difficult as a read aloud for the first chapter or so, but then fell into a rhythm. Her language is much more rich and complex than what many middle school aged children are used to hearing or reading. Sutcliff was homeschooled, because of a disease. (Her mother read aloud to her, all the great old stories.) She was originally trained as a landscape artist (I think), but over time, because of her illness, lost the use of her fine motor skills. Her attention to detail in her descriptive passages reflects her training, imho. I adore her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 Sorry ! I was under attack by a playful beagle at the time of typing, so erred. Eagle of the Ninth definitely is Roman Britain, though. Who has reissued them? Some of ours have disintegrated from use. My boys read her books when they were in the 10-11 age span. I don't know how to gauge "reading level"; I just let them read what they like. In general, my kids are "warped" toward a lot of the older British children's literature, because that is what I instinctively chose myself as a child. (I'm nearly 54.) Antonia Are you thinking about Frontier Wolf, The Shield Ring, and The Lantern Bearers? And Knight's Fee? Not Roman Britain, though. The Lantern Bearers is one of a set of three that are not necessarily a trilogy, but fit together. The other two are The Eagle of the Ninth and The Silver Branch. These are for older readers, and have recently been reissued with somber covers (!). I, too, have been reading everything by her that I can get my hands on. We love her books. I found the Eagle to be difficult as a read aloud for the first chapter or so, but then fell into a rhythm. Her language is much more rich and complex than what many middle school aged children are used to hearing or reading. Sutcliff was homeschooled, because of a disease. (Her mother read aloud to her, all the great old stories.) She was originally trained as a landscape artist (I think), but over time, because of her illness, lost the use of her fine motor skills. Her attention to detail in her descriptive passages reflects her training, imho. I adore her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Sorry ! I was under attack by a playful beagle at the time of typing, so erred. Eagle of the Ninth definitely is Roman Britain, though. Who has reissued them? Some of ours have disintegrated from use. My boys read her books when they were in the 10-11 age span. I don't know how to gauge "reading level"; I just let them read what they like. In general, my kids are "warped" toward a lot of the older British children's literature, because that is what I instinctively chose myself as a child. (I'm nearly 54.) Antonia A publisher called Front Street. You can see them here: http://www.amazon.com/Frontier-Wolf-Rosemary-Sutcliff/dp/1590785940/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241052213&sr=8-1 (I really need to learn how to embed my links!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Thank you, Nicole ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 We've finished off Eagle of the Ninth (and I'm told I must buy it, LOL), and are starting The Silver Branch. We're also reading Tristan and Iseult, but that one has subject matter than definitely needs forethought. We love all her books and will be reading more of them next year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shasta Mom Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 I inherited Eagle of the Ninth, and we love Rosemary Sutcliff, and my 10 yo ds love Roman history - so is it a shoe in? It seems a bit long........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 We love all her books, but especially The Lantern Bearers, Eagle of the Ninth, and The Silver Branch. Definitely a thumbs up here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Check out this photo of her. Let the whole thing load... http://www.geistesleben.de/files/images/creators/Sutcliff_Rosemary.png Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Check out this photo of her. Let the whole thing load... http://www.geistesleben.de/files/images/creators/Sutcliff_Rosemary.png I had seen that one! What was her illness? I remember reading the name and thinking, ah, well, I am not a health care professional, so I need a translation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Also, for you folks who enjoy Rosemary Sutcliff, you might also enjoy Geoffrey Trease. He was writing historical fiction in the 50s - ish, and wrote a great Shakespearean novel (among many others) called Cue for Treason. (The, um, how shall we say... "source material" for the recent Shakespeare Stealer.) I don't love him like I love Rosemary, but his books are quite good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlockOfSillies Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Looks like cerebral palsy to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 I had seen that one! What was her illness? I remember reading the name and thinking, ah, well, I am not a health care professional, so I need a translation. Well, she had Still's Disease. Her appearance is a rather typical one for severely debilitating illnesses of childhood. If you look in wikipedia, it says her mother read to her a great deal as an ill child, especially myths. Her books just go to show you how much our brain is our human-ness. Good for her, I say! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caraway Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 (edited) Could someone please tell me which books go together? I am having a hard time (on Amazon) figuring out which are stand alone, and which are part of a series. Thanks! Edited September 2, 2009 by Caraway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Caraway, I don't have an answer for you, but wanted to comment on the books below. My son (4.7) loves Black Ships Before Troy and The Wanderings of Odysseus as read alouds (the Alan Lee illustrated versions). We're just finishing another go-round. Top notch! We have BSBT and it is both wonderfully written and illustrated. Top ntch, I agree. I will not read them to DD7 or let her read them however. They are very violent and very morbid. YMMV, but I am thinking it will be a long while before my DD is ready for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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