The adventures of Sir Balin the Ill-fated

Format:

Book

Title:

The adventures of Sir Balin the Ill-fated

Author:

Morris, Gerald, 1963-

ISBN:

9780547680859

9780544104884

9781480628571

Publication Information:

Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 2012.

Physical Description:

93 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm.

Series title(s):

Knights' tales.

Number in series:

BK. 4

Summary:

After receiving an ominous prophecy at his christening, Sir Balin lives his life alternately trying to fulfill it and trying to avoid it.

Reading Level:

Elementary Grade.

680 Lexile.

Program Information:

Accelerated Reader 4.6.

Accelerated Reader AR Middle Grades 4.6 2 quiz: 150410.

Subject(s):

Knights and knighthood -- Juvenile fiction.

Knights and knighthood -- Fiction.

Prophecies -- Fiction.

Middle Ages -- Juvenile fiction.

Middle Ages -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

Middle Ages -- Juvenile fiction.

Middle Ages -- Fiction.

Genre:

Prophecies.

Fiction.

Juvenile works.

Prophecies -- Juvenile fiction.

Added Author:

Renier, Aaron

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Willamina Public Library	JF MORRIS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Salem Main Library	J Morris, G.	Searching... Unknown

Many years ago, the storytellers say, the great King Arthur brought justice to England with the help of his gallant knights of the roundtable. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; While most of King Arthur's knights freely chose a life of duty, for Sir Balin the Ill-Fated, destiny was foretold in a prophecy. And seriously, "ill-fated" is right there in his title, so Balin's not surprised when things go sour. Still, no matter how dire the task, a loyal and gallant knight never refuses adventure!nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Will Sir Balin finally discover his true destiny? And which ill-fated path will he have to choose? Join Balin on this, the noblest quest of all.

Author Notes

When Gerald Morris was in fifth grade he loved Greek and Norse mythology and before long was retelling the stories to his younger sister and then to neighborhood kids. He began carrying a notebook in which he kept some of the details related to the different stories. The joy he found in retelling those myths continued when he discovered other stories. According to Gerald Morris, 'I never lost my love of retelling the old stories. When I found Arthurian literature, years later, I knew at once that I wanted to retell those grand tales. So I pulled out my notebook . . . I retell the tales, peopling them with characters that I at least find easier to recognize, and let the magic of the Arthurian tradition go where it will.' Gerald Morris lives in Wausau, Wisconsin, with his wife and their three children. In addition to writing he serves as a minister in a church. Aaron Renier was born and raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and attended art school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He's drawn comics as far back as he can remember. He lives in Chicago, where he has found a very vibrant and supportive community of cartoonists. Renier is the recipient of the Will Eisner Comic Industry Award for Talent Deserving Wider Recognition, and received a nomination for best Children's Album in 2005.

Reviews (3)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-5-In this addition to the series, the Old Woman of the Mountain ("Which mountain?.It matters not") arrives to tell the future of the newborn Balin. Unfortunately, for every bit of good in her prediction ("He shall be the noblest knight in England!"), there is an equal bit of calamity ("His greatness will bring misfortune on all his companions!"). Flash forward 20 years and King Arthur is set to decide the fate of the same Sir Balin of Northumberland, who has been imprisoned for killing another knight. Suddenly Balin seizes the opportunity to pull an enchanted sword from its scabbard, which will make him the "noblest knight in England." Sound familiar? Thus Arthur frees him to go pursue his adventures, which are prophesied to result in nothing but trouble, and so they do. Accompanied at various times by his brother Sir Balan the Doughty and Lady Annalise, the Questing Lady, Sir Balin strives to avoid bringing bad luck to King Arthur, but isn't above directing his attention toward miscreants who deserve a dose of his ill fate. Brush and ink illustrations have a comic appeal that adds to the fun. With lots of humor, wordplay, and numerous twists and turns, Morris cleverly tackles each piece of the Old Woman's prophecy until every loose end is neatly resolved.-Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Horn Book Review

This fourth installment focuses on the adventures of Sir Balin, chronicling his deeds during the time of King Arthur's Round Table. Younger readers who don't mind the forced humor will appreciate the whimsical text and frequent black-and-white illustrations. Under the whimsy, this is a discussion on fate versus free will. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Review

(Fantasy. 9-11)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.