Historical Fiction – Page 6

Roland Wright: Future Knight

Roland Wright dreams of being a knight, but he knows that dream will never come true. Only sons of noblemen become knights, and his dad is not noble. Then a series of unexpected events happen that bring excitement and hope to Roland. A knight, with a head stuck in his helmet, shows up at his father’s blacksmith shop. The knight has exciting news. Roland’s father’s famous armor saves the king’s life, and then the king offers to take either Roland or Roland’s brother Shelby to the castle to train as a page.

Roland’s father, a quiet and skillful man, must decide which son will become a future knight and which son will become an armor maker. In order to determine which path in life is best for his sons, Mr. Wright comes up with a contest to judge the boy’s skills. In an attempt to win the contest, Roland seeks out the advice of an experienced knight.

Young readers will be instantly captivated by a view of life in the Middle Ages through Roland’s eyes. Not only is Roland humorous, but he also is just like a typical boy—he spends much of his time day-dreaming and he doesn’t have much use for girls. Adding a mouse as a pet, a gallant knight, and a wise and insightful father to the mix makes Roland Wright Future Knight an entertaining story. An added bonus is that the story teaches that winning isn’t the most important part of being a knight (or a young boy).

Sexual Content

None

Violence

When Roland thinks about the neighbor girl, he knows she’s wrong but, “he didn’t grab his big, spiky steel mace and hit her over the head so hard that her brain shot out her earholes like lengths of rope.”
Several times Roland and his brother fight with wooden swords. One time as they are playing, Roland, “lunged and swiped, hitting Shelby’s sword so hard it flew out of his hands.”
The boys have a contest where they fight with wooden swords and shields. Shelby hits Roland across his unprotected back. “It felt like a red hot strip of steel had been pressed against Roland’s skin. He fell to the ground face-first in agony. He rolled onto his back, hoping the softness of the grass would stop the pain.” When his father tries to stop the fight, Roland says he can continue, but he ends up yielding to his brother.

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

Roland Wright: Brand-New Page

As a page, Roland expected to learn how to smite the enemy. However, he didn’t expect his enemy to be another page. But when Hector decides that Roland is a smelly peasant who doesn’t deserve to be trained as a page, Roland soon learns that not all pages fight fair.

When an elephant escapes from his pen, no one seems to know what to do, so Roland and Nudge, his pet mouse, jump to the rescue. However, instead of being praised, Roland finds himself thrown in a cell. Roland now wonders if his chance of becoming a knight is already over, or if there is something he can do to save himself from being sent home.

The second book in the Roland Wright series is just as entertaining as the first book, Roland Wright Future Knight. Although Nudge plays a smaller role in the story, the addition of new characters and an elephant keep the reader interested. Throughout the story, Roland is never mean-spirited. Even when provoked, he strives to behave like a good knight. Roland Wright Brand-New Page will entertain young readers as well as teach that honesty always wins out in the end.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

Roland tells Nudge what he thinks they will see when they get to the King’s castle: “Hundreds of archers shooting arrows from the battlements down onto the attackers . . . and soldiers pouring boiling oil on men charging at the drawbridge with a battering ram . . . and gallant knights swinging broadswords atop warhorses covered with shining armor.”
One of the pages is upset that Roland, a “smelly and stupid” peasant, is at the castle. They fight with wooden swords and shields. Roland is whacked in the face. As they continue fighting the other page said, “I’ll have you chopped into little pieces.” Roland is able to hold his own until the other boy tires and leaves.
An elephant escapes and smashes into the wall that people are hiding behind. As the elephant continues to push its tusks against the wall, someone calls for the royal archers. The King commands them to stop in order to make sure the elephant is not harmed.
The elephant, “squashed the squire in armor against a stone wall. It made a horrible sound, like a bug being crushed.”
Hector is punished. “. . . Hector was already in the stocks, his head and hands clamped in tightly, the sun beating down on his face.”

Drugs and Alcohol

At dinner the pages drink “watery ale.”

Language

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

A boy tells Roland, “It’s God who looks after the King.”

Roland Wright: At The Joust

Roland is excited to attend his first joust and watch the knights crashing and smashing. However, he soon learns that jousting isn’t just fun and games. When Roland unexpectedly faces Little Douglas, a page from another castle, Roland must fight his fear and stay on his feet.

Roland Wright: At the Joust has the same loveable characters as the first two books; however, the story focuses less on character development. It mostly revolves around a tournament, so there is more violence than in the previous books. Even though the jousting is described in kid-friendly language, the descriptions are long and show the danger of being a knight.

In the end, Roland is victorious, but he realizes that being hurt or watching your friends hurt is a high price to pay for being a knight. Roland also learns that true friendship is the most important thing of all.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

To practice, Roland fights a knight. During the fight there was, “crashing, banging smashing and walloping.” The fight goes on for several pages, but language is kid-friendly, “Roland was hit yet again with the pommel-doinggg!—and found himself lying on the ground. . .”
One of the knights describes being unhorsed. “The first thing you feel is an enormous thump, like you’ve been hit by a rock thrown from a catapult. You see nothing through your visor but blue sky.”
There is a tournament where knights joust. During one joust, a knight is injured. “Sir Lucas was thrown up and backward . . . he slowly rolled and twisted a full three yards above the grass. He began to fall, headfirst, crashing his helmet against the tiltline.” Later in the story, it is revealed that Sir Lucas might not live.
Roland participates in a joust. “He turned to see Little Douglas lying flat on his back with the broken end of Roland’s lance sticking out of the shoulder joint in his armor.”

Drugs and Alcohol