Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village

Author: Laura Amy Schlitz
Illustrator: Robert Byrd
Year: 2007
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Pages: 85
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12—written for 10-15 year-olds to perform)

Awards: 2008 Newbery Award

Genre: Plays, Monologues
Location: An Un-named English Medieval Village
Time Period: Medieval Times (1255 A.D.)

Plot: 22 monologues/short plays of different characters who would have lived on the grounds of an English manor in 1255 A.D. The plays are set up to tell the stories of children in all social stations in the village, from the Lord’s nephew and daughter to the tradesmen’s children to the falconer to the villein (local peasant) to the traveling beggar, to the Jewish money lender.

Comments: This is an interesting book. Although it won the 2008 Newbery Award, this book doesn’t have a solid narrative or a plot. While some of the plays intertwine with others, most of them do not. Despite this, it is fairly well written. Each play is interesting, and the characters do come to life in each monologue. I especially appreciated the footnotes, which explained Medieval words that we do not use today. There are also brief sections that explain important facts about the time period (such as a description of the Crusades or a description of why Jews were money lenders). This book takes an interesting approach to teaching children about Medieval times that I haven’t seen before.

Red Flags: None