Sunday, January 24, 2021

Adam of the Road


For the 2021 Back to the Classics reading challenge, children's literature category, I decided to scan the list of Newberry Medal winners and see what struck my fancy. There were a lot of great books to choose from, most of which I hadn't read. I landed on Adam of the Road, by Elizabeth Janet Gray, which won the award in 1943.

Adam of the Road is exactly the kind of book I loved in elementary school, and had I discovered it then I surely would have counted it as a lifelong favorite. Set in 1294 during the reign of Edward I, the novel is about Adam Quartermayne, twelve-year old son of a minstrel, Roger. Adam aspires to be a minstrel like his father and loves to sing, tell stories, play his harp, and play with his dog, Nick.

Not only was it great fun to read about Roger's life on the road, but Adam of the Road is chock full of interesting details about life in medieval England, age appropriate, of course. The book starts out with Adam in school St Alban's Abbey, where he is biding his time while waiting for Roger to return from France, where he has been learning new songs and stories for his lord, Sir Edmund De Lisle. So, we learn about life in a medieval abbey--the schedule of prayers and services, the work of the monks and their interaction with the town folk, and their role in the early education of scholars.

Then, Adam and Roger go to London and live in the De Lisle's city home. So, we learn about how people of the time travelled, life in London, squires, knights, ladies, and the education and training of knights. 

Then, it's off to Winchester for St Giles fair - Adam is separated from both Roger and Nick enroute and has lots of adventures and meets loads of interesting people while trying to find both his father and his dog. He swims the river Wey, he attends a miracle play, he is caught up in a "hue and cry," and he works on a farm, laboring half the day for the lord of the manor. 

Finally, Adam ends up in Oxford, so we learn about how universities worked in medieval times, and Adam is given the opportunity to choose what kind of a life he wants--that of a scholar or that of a minstrel. Will he choose a quiet life of study or a tumultuous, and occasionally precarious, life on the road?

As you can tell, I really enjoyed this book. Adam is a sweet, lovable, plucky boy, and the book is a wonderful way to introduce children to medieval history, from the food, to the clothing, to social structure, to architecture, to holidays and celebrations, and even to politics. Thankfully, I didn't have to read about the dark underbelly of society as this is a children's book. For as much time as Adam was on his own and at the mercy of strangers, the book didn't go into his vulnerability, nor disease, nor the heinous punishments for even trivial crimes that marked the time period. But that's okay, it was a delight to read a sunny adventure book.

Now I'm torn between wanting to read more books by Elizabeth Jane Gray (aka Elizabeth Gray Vining) or more Newberry Medal winners. Or maybe, both?

13 comments:

  1. Fun! This is not one of the Newbery books I'm familiar with. It'd be fun to see what else Elizabeth Janet Gray wrote. :)

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  2. It does sound like a fun one--I'll have to hunt it up. And it would make a good pairing for Men of Iron!

    We're early off the block on the Children's Classic. Now what does that say about us... ;-)

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    1. I, for one, wanted a fun read, which is why I chose to nail the children's category early in the year!

      I also think it would be a good pairing with Men of Iron.

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  3. Haven't heard of this one but looks like a good one! Glad you enjoyed it.

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  4. I say go for BOTH. The beauty of kid's books it that they don't take that long to read.

    This book does sound fabulous. I would love to go back in time and feed my 10 year old self with more books and less Brady Bunch re-runs. :D

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  5. Haven't heard of Adam of the Road either but it sounds like a book well worth reading. The author made sure to include detailed aspects of Medieval History as well. Have you ever read Johnny Tremaine, also a Newberry Winner from the 1940's by Esther Forbes.

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    1. I have not read Johnny Tremaine, but all three of my kids did in elementary school and I intended to. They liked all liked it a lot. So many great kids books out there.

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  6. This sounds like a lovely book, and the perfect choice for a homeschooling family. We've passed that stage, but I may pass on the recommendation to others who are still going.

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  7. I thought I had posted a long message about my love of Elizabeth Janet Gray but maybe it was all composed in my mind! I think she would be better known if all her books weren't so different, although most are delightful. My favorites are The Fair Adventure, which is a contemporary YA about a girl who wants to go to a college based on Bryn Mawr. I also love Jane Hope which is about a mid-19th century family that goes to live in Chapel Hill, NC when grandparents when their father dies. It does glorify the Southern cause a bit although Gray was a Quaker and certainly did not believe in war.

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    1. I really admire writers whose subjects are far-ranging. Both Jane Hope and The Fair Adventure sound interesting and worth adding to my TBR list of Children's Classics.

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  8. I've never heard of this one - it sounds delightful. This sounds exactly like the type of book I would like to read and my kids. I'm adding it to my TBR.

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  9. I'm not familiar with this one but, you had me a Newberry Award Winner; I like the sound of this one.

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