The Letter for the King
Written by Tonke Dragt
Translated from Dutch by Laura Watkinson
528 pages – ages 12+
Published by David Fickling Books on August 25th, 2015
(Originally published in Dutch in 1962)
Synopsis- From The Publisher: “Sixteen-year-old Tiuri must spend hours locked in a chapel in silent contemplation if he is to be knighted the next day. But as he waits by the light of a flickering candle, he hears a knock at the door and a voice desperately asking for help.
A secret letter must be delivered to King Unauwen across the Great Mountains–a letter upon which the fate of the entire kingdom depends. Tiuri has a vital role to play, one that might cost him his knighthood. He must trust no one. He must keep his true identity secret. Above all, he must never reveal what is in the letter . . .
Tiuri’s journey will take him through dark, menacing forests, across treacherous rivers, to sinister castles and strange cities. He will encounter evil enemies who would kill to get the letter, but also the best of friends in the most unexpected places.”
What I Thought- I love books with a medieval setting like this. When done correctly, they can really insert you into the story line. Ms. Dragt does a great job of creating a realistic world with a code of chivalry. There are pretty neat black-and-white sketches for the different sections of the book. I really enjoyed the story. Tiuri is a marvelous character who you connected with. He is *this* close to becoming a knight, but, by doing the right thing, may lose his entire chance to become a doer of good, full-time. You feel for him, as he is conflicted by this question of character. Ms. Dragt is a masterful author, and Ms. Watkinson did a great job translating it into English. I really recommend this book to everyone who likes a good coming-of-age book!
I give this book five out of five bookworms!
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Categories: Age 12+
Ugh. And it looks like yet another Erik recommendation will be placed upon my To Read pile.
Is that bad? Should I have said “Everyone but Mike Allegra, rodent lover, cat hater, will love this book? 😉
Yes. Yes, you should have said that.
Will do! 🙂
You got me at a medieval setting! I want to read this book to see if he gets to be a knight in the end.
It’s an amazing classic! 🙂
I’ve had this sitting on my TBR shelf for a while, you may have just inspired me to pick it up 🙂
It’s a great story – you’ll love it! Thank you for stopping by my blog! 🙂
Don’t forget the just-released-last-month sequel ‘Secrets of the Wild Wood’, which is, imho, even better!
Thank you for telling me about it! I’ll be sure to check it out! 🙂
I’d never heard of this book growing up, but then again I can’t read Dutch. How interesting that it’s just been translated. But keeping the world’s great literature in print is always a positive thing.
I think it had been translated beforehand, but in other languages. I’m not 100% sure, though. It’s a great story still! 😀
I love stories with a midieval bent. Will add this one to my list. Great review, Erik!
Thank you Ms. Newman! 🙂
This looks like a very good story, one I would enjoy. Now I’d like to see if it ends the way I think it might. 😊
You would have fun reading it!
Oh, this sounds like a good one! There’s no way I can fit in a 500+ word story at the moment. Maybe next summer…?
You’ll like it a lot! 🙂
Er…500+ PAGE story. 🙂
Yup! No picture books! Not enough time! 😉 I would HATE to be that busy! 😉 It’s good that you aren’t! 🙂