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| Perma-Bound Edition ©2011 | -- |
| Paperback ©2011 | -- |
Chapter Book
Gawain (Legendary character). Legends. Juvenile literature.
Gawain (Legendary character). Legends.
Knights and knighthood. Folklore.
Folklore. England.
Continuing the masterful reboot of his Squire's Tales for younger audiences, Morris takes his favorite knight from "Sir Gawain the Undefeated" to "Sir Gawain the Once Defeated" and thence to the titular moniker. All the while, he delivers wry and perceptive commentary on both the hazards of reckless vows and the profound importance of courtesy. It all begins when the self-absorbed Gawain slays a dragon and shrugs off the gratitude of the damsel he has just rescued. Shortly thereafter he's tricked into agreeing to let a huge green giant knight cut off his head in a year's time and just after that finds himself locked into a battle (supposedly) to the death with a good friend who is also "undefeated." Being a quick learner, Gawain survives both challenges thanks to his discovery that common sense, good manners and a dash of humility go a long way toward solving problems and minimizing the body count. Enhanced by Renier's lighthearted medieval scenes—including two notable views of the heavily armored Gawain in bunny slippers—Morris' yarn weaves clever turns, knightly violence and chivalric (i.e., human) values in action into an ingeniously integrated retelling of "Gawain and the Green Knight" and other episodes from the Arthurian canon. Worthy reading for all budding squires and damsels. (Fantasy. 9-11)
ALA Booklist (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)Morris adds to his Knights' Tales series of farcical chivalry-and-derring-do yarns with this take on one of the better-known Round Table legends. After Sir Gawain chops off the head of the fearsome Green Knight, and before fulfilling his vow to let the Green Knight return the favor, he and the other knights spend a year questing about. Arthur tries to teach the dim-witted knights a few lessons in gallantry, but "knights who had spent their whole lives learning swordsmanship and pointy-stick-bashing did not always see how something else could be more important." Renier's irreverent line art makes a noble match to this funny, fractured take on Arthurian lore.
Horn Book (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)This third series sentry focuses on the adventures of Sir Gawain, King Arthur's full-of-himself nephew and a Knight of the Round Table. There are lots of jokes (some a stretch) in the accessible text and cartoony black-and-white brush and ink illustrations. There are some things to be learned, too, about courtesy, friendship, and loyalty.
Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)Continuing the masterful reboot of his Squire's Tales for younger audiences, Morris takes his favorite knight from "Sir Gawain the Undefeated" to "Sir Gawain the Once Defeated" and thence to the titular moniker. All the while, he delivers wry and perceptive commentary on both the hazards of reckless vows and the profound importance of courtesy. It all begins when the self-absorbed Gawain slays a dragon and shrugs off the gratitude of the damsel he has just rescued. Shortly thereafter he's tricked into agreeing to let a huge green giant knight cut off his head in a year's time and just after that finds himself locked into a battle (supposedly) to the death with a good friend who is also "undefeated." Being a quick learner, Gawain survives both challenges thanks to his discovery that common sense, good manners and a dash of humility go a long way toward solving problems and minimizing the body count. Enhanced by Renier's lighthearted medieval scenes—including two notable views of the heavily armored Gawain in bunny slippers—Morris' yarn weaves clever turns, knightly violence and chivalric (i.e., human) values in action into an ingeniously integrated retelling of "Gawain and the Green Knight" and other episodes from the Arthurian canon. Worthy reading for all budding squires and damsels. (Fantasy. 9-11)
School Library Journal (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)BASYE, Dale E. Fibble: The Fourth Circle of Heck . illus. by Bob Dob. 384p. Random . May 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-85678-5 ; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-375-95678-2 ; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-89305-6 . LC 2010009460. Gr 5-8 BOWLER, Tim . Fighting Back . Bk. 3. 261p. (Blade Series). Philomel . Apr. 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-399-25431-4 . LC number unavailable. Gr 8 Up BRENNAN, Herbie . The Faeman Quest . Bk. 5. 361p. (Faerie Wars Series). Bloomsbury. Jan . 2011. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-1-59990-476-4 . LC number unavailable. Gr 58 CAINE, Rachel . Ghost Town . Bk. 9. 338p. (The Morganville Vampires Series). NAL . Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-451-23161-1 . LC 2010026742. Gr 9 Up CAST, P. C. &; Kristin Cast . Awakened . Bk. 8. 323p. (House of Night Series). St. Martin's / Griffin . 2011. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-312-65024-7 . LC number unavailable. Gr 10 Up DE LA CRUZ, Melissa . Bloody Valentine . illus. by Michael Johnston. 147p. (A Blue Bloods Book). Hyperion . Dec. 2010. RTE. $14.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-3449-7 . LC number unavailable. Gr 9 Up DE LA CRUZ, Melissa . Misguided Angel . Bk. 6. 265p. (A Blue Bloods Novel). Hyperion . Oct. 2010. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-2128-2 . LC number unavailable. Gr 9 Up DUEY, Kathleen . Following Magic . Bk. 2. illus. by Sandara Tang. 102p. (The Faeries' Promise Series). S &; S / Aladdin . Nov. 2010. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-8458-0 . LC 2009045801. Gr 35 FLANAGAN, John . The Emperor of Nihon-Ja . Bk. 10. 432p. (Ranger's Apprentice Series). Philomel . Apr. 2011. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-399-25500-7 . LC number unavailable. Gr 59 GIBSON, Marley . The Discovery . Bk. 5. 264p. (Ghost Huntress Series). Houghton / Graphia . May 2011. pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-0-547-39308-7 . LC number unavailable. Gr 7 Up GRAY, Claudia . Afterlife . Bk. 4. 368p. (Evernight Series). HarperTeen . Mar. 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-128442-7 . LC number unavailable. Gr 9 Up Greenhut, Josh . The African Safari Discovery . Bk. 6. illus. by Macky Pamintuan. 91p. (Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventures Series). HarperCollins . Jan. 2011. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-06-143001-5 ; pap. $4.99. ISBN 978-0-06-143000-8 . LC 2010022978. Gr 24 HUNTER, Erin . Spirits in the Stars . Bk. 6. 273p. (Seekers Series). HarperCollins . Feb. 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-087140-6 ; PLB $17.89. ISBN 978-0-06-087141-3 . LC 2010021975. Gr 59 JONES, Frewin . The Charmed Return . Bk. 6. 355p. (Faerie Path Series). HarperTeen . Feb. 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-087161-1 . LC 2010019301. Gr 7 Up KINGSLEY, Kaza . The Three Furies . Bk. 4. illus. by Peter Mohrbacher. 564p. (Erec Rex Series). S &; S. Aug. 2010. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-7990-6 . LC 2009036404. Gr 57 LABATT, Mary . Witches' Brew . Bk. 4. illus. by Jo Rioux. 95p. (A Sam &; Friends Mystery). Kids Can . Mar. 2011. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-55453-472-2 ; pap. $7.95. ISBN 978-1-55453-473-9 . LC C2010-904764-8. K-Gr 4 LAFEVERS, R.L. Theodosia and the Last Pharaoh . Bk. 4. illus. by Yoko Tanaka. 400p. Houghton . Apr. 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-39018-5 . LC number unavailable. Gr 46 LAFEVERS, R. L. The Unicorn's Tale . Bk. 4. illus. by Kelly Murphy. 160p. (Nathaniel Fludd: Beastologist Series). Houghton Harcourt . Apr. 2011. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-0-547-48277-4 . LC number unavailable. Gr 35 LUBAR, David . Enter the Zombie . Bk. 5. 192p. (Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie Series). Tom Doherty Assoc / Starscape . Jan. 2011. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-7653-2344-6 ; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-0-7653-2672-0 . LC number unavailable. Gr 46 MAGUIRE, Eden . Summer . Bk. 3. 288p. (Beautiful Dead Series). Sourcebooks / Fire . Mar. 2011. pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-1-4022-3946-5 . LC number unavailable. Gr 7 Up MANCUSI, Mari . Night School . Bk. 5. 244p. (A Blood Coven Vampire Novel). Berkley . Jan. 2011. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-425-24042-7 . LC 2010029806. Gr 10 Up MORRIS, Gerald . The Adventures of Sir Gawain the True . Bk. 3. illus. by Aaron Renier. 118p. (The Knights' Tales Series). Houghton Harcourt . Apr. 2011. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-0-547-41855-1 . LC 2010006808. Gr 3–6 PEREZ, Marlene . Dead Is Not an Option . Bk. 5. 252p. (Dead Is Series) Houghton / Graphia . May 2011. pap. $7.99. ISBN 978-0-547-34593-2 . LC 2010027407. Gr 7 Up VERNON, Ursula . Lair of the Bat Monster . Bk. 4. 208p. (Dragonbreath Series). Dial . Mar. 2011. pap. $12.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3525-5 . LC number unavailable. Gr 2–4
Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews
ALA Booklist (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)
Horn Book (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)
Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)
School Library Journal (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)
Wilson's Children's Catalog
Chapter 1
Sir Gawain the Undefeated
Now, everyone who knows anything at all about
knights knows that they used to dress in metal
suits and bash each other off their horses with
pointy sticks called lances. This only makes sense,
of course. Anyone who happened to have a metal
suit, a horse, and a pointy stick would do the same.
Some may have also heard that knights fought
dragons as well, often to rescue damsels. (Damsels
are what they used to call women. Don't ask why;
they just did.) This is less sensible, because--Well,
really now! What would a dragon want with a
damsel? Still, if a dragon did for some reason
make off with one, then it would be perfectly reasonable
for a knight to rescue her.
But what many do not realize is that, at least in
King Arthur's court, knights were also expected to
be courteous and respectful. The king was very
clear about this: He wanted no bullies at his
Round Table. In fact, he said that courtesy was
even more important than wearing metal suits
and bashing people from horses. Not surprisingly,
this notion took a while to sink in. Knights who
had spent their whole lives learning swordsmanship
and pointy-stick-bashing did not always see
how something else could be more important.
Indeed, King Arthur had reigned for several years
before he felt that his knights were starting to get
the idea.
During those early years, the most celebrated
of King Arthur's knights was his nephew Sir Gawain.
Sir Gawain had won so many tournaments--
which is what knights called the contests
where they did all that bashing--that he was
called Sir Gawain the Undefeated. One day, as Sir
Gawain the Undefeated was riding through a forest,
he heard a loud scream and a ferocious roar.
Sir Gawain urged his horse forward and soon
came upon a huge black lizard that was holding
a damsel in one scaly, knobby claw.
"Whatever does a dragon want with a damsel?"
wondered Sir Gawain. The idea seemed absurd to
him as well.
But Sir Gawain did not have time for philosophical
questions, because at that moment the
dragon roared again, sending a ball of fire into the
air, and the damsel screamed. Sir Gawain
charged. It was a fierce battle, which took quite a
long time, and an onlooker would doubtless have
found it gripping to watch. For some reason,
though, secondhand blow-by-blow accounts of
battles are not nearly so interesting as the things
themselves, so it won't hurt anything to skip
ahead here. What matters is that when the fight
was over, the dragon lay dead at Sir Gawain's feet.
"Hooray!" shouted Sir Gawain triumphantly. "I
won again!"
"Oh, thank you, Sir Knight!" cried the damsel.
"You saved my life!"
"Yes, I suppose I did," agreed Sir Gawain. "By the
way, do you have any idea why the dragon captured
you?"
"What difference does that make?" the damsel
replied. "He was an evil creature."
"Just wondering," Sir Gawain said.
"What matters is that you saved me, Sir
Knight," the damsel repeated.
"Not Sir Knight," Sir Gawain corrected. "I'm Sir
Gawain. Sir Gawain the Undefeated."
"I'm ever so grateful to you, Sir Gawain."
"Yes, I suppose you are," Sir Gawain replied. He
turned back to the dragon's corpse and gazed at it
with satisfaction. "It was quite a fight, wasn't it?
Did you see how the lizard tried to get behind me
but I reversed my lance? A very tricky bit of
lancemanship, let me tell you!"
"Er, quite," said the damsel.
"And how, when it shifted to my weak side, I
tossed my sword to my left hand? Not everyone
can do that, you know."
"Very clever of you, I'm sure." The damsel's
smile was smaller now. "Sir Gawain, to thank you
for your service, I would like to give you a gift:
this green sash." The woman began to remove a
gleaming strip of green silk from her waist. "Wear
this as a reminder of your victory, and--"
"Oh, I shan't forget this victory," Sir Gawain said.
"But this is a special sash. As long as you wear
it--"
"I really don't have a place for a sash," Sir Gawain
said. "Why don't you keep it?"
"Oh," the damsel said. "Well . . . if you wish. But
I want to thank you somehow. Perhaps it would
be enough if I gave you a kiss on the cheek, just
to--"
"I say!" interrupted Sir Gawain. "You don't think
that just because I saved your life we're, you
know, in love or something, do you?"
"What?"
"Because a lot of girls might think that, but
really I would have saved any damsel. It didn't
have to be you. Besides, I'm not looking for a lady
of my own right now."
"A lady of your own? " gasped the damsel. "I never
said--"
"Nothing personal, of course," Sir Gawain
said hurriedly. "I'm sure you'll
make a very nice lady for someone
someday. It's just that I'm not in the market
for romance at the moment."
"Of all the . . . All I wanted to do was
show you my gratitude!"
Suddenly remembering King Arthur's
lectures on courtesy, Sir Gawain bowed
and said, "You're very welcome," then
turned his horse and rode away. He was
already thinking about how he would tell
the tale of his great victory once he got back to the
Round Table.
The story was a success. Sir Gawain held the
court spellbound as he recounted his defeat of the
horrible dragon, even during the duller bits when
he described his lancemanship. But when he told
about his conversation with the damsel after the
battle, King Arthur sat up.
"Do you mean to say, Gawain," the king asked,
"that the lady tried to give you a token of thanks
and you refused it?"
"Well, yes."
"So then she asked if she could give you one
kiss on the cheek, and you turned that down as
well?"
"I didn't want her to get the wrong idea, you
see."
"And I gather that you told her your name but
never asked for hers?"
Sir Gawain blinked. The king was right. He had
no idea who the lady was.
"And then," King Arthur concluded, "you rode
away, leaving her alone, on foot, in the forest?"
For a moment, Sir Gawain was silent. "I didn't
think about that," he admitted, frowning. "That
wasn't . . . wasn't my best choice, was it?"
King Arthur shook his head.
"I did say 'You're welcome,'" Sir Gawain said.
"'Very welcome,' I think."
King Arthur covered his eyes with his hands.
Sometimes in those early days he wondered what
it would take to prove to his knights that courtesy
was as important as courage.
Excerpted from The Adventures of Sir Gawain the True by Gerald Morris
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
In the third installment in the Knights’ Tales series, Gerald Morris tells the laugh-out-loud tale of King Arthur’s most celebrated knight, and nephew, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. With lively illustrations by Aaron Renier, Morris creates a captivating and comical medieval world that teems with humor and wonder.
This chapter book is sure to set young readers on another rollicking and hilarious Arthurian adventure!