Green Jasper

June 1, 2006
Gr 5-9 -"Green Jasper" begins where" Blood Red Horse" (Walker, 2005) ended. With King Richard imprisoned and supposed dead, there is turmoil in England in the 12th century. Will and Gavin de Granville have returned from the crusade older, wiser, and scarred from battle, Gavin having lost an arm. His betrothed, Ellie, has waited patiently for their return and now is preparing for her marriage. The ceremony is disrupted by Constable de Scabious and his men, who have spread rumors that King Richard is dead and that his brother John has taken the throne. When Ellie is kidnapped and taken to de Scabious -s castle, Will feels that his duty is to rescue her while Gavin, who has been injured again, believes that they must be more cautious. Ellie, while waiting and hoping for rescue, holds on to her green jasper necklace, a wedding gift from Gavin that represents faith. Throughout this second adventure of the de Granvilles, loyalties are divided, conflicts arise, and villagers are unsure whom they can trust. Hosanna, the blood red horse, plays an important role in tying the characters together and aiding the knights in their quest to protect the king and rescue the woman they love. Although this action-packed novel can be read alone, it is much more enjoyable if read in sequence." -Denise Moore, O -Gorman Junior High School, Sioux Falls, SD"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2006
Gr. 6-9. Grant's fast-paced, equally cinematic sequel to " Blood Red Horse "(2005) returns readers from twelfth-century Jerusalem to England, where rumors fly that Richard the Lionheart has died. Claiming the support of Lionheart's successor, Constable de Scabious kidnaps and plans to marry Ellie. Divided about how to handle the politically delicate situation, de Granville brothers Will and Gavin become estranged, and the situation goes from bad to worse when celebrated warhorse Hosanna falls into de Scabious' clutches. Grant gently extends the first book's cross-cultural themes by bringing back Kamil, Saladin's emir, who has been sent to England on a peacekeeping mission. Occasional anachronistic dialogue is jarring, and de Scabious is as much a caricature of a verminous villain as Hosanna is a mystical symbol ("he had some quality that made you feel that the world was a good place"). But Grant balances simplistic elements with unsentimental explorations of medieval conflicts between romantic love, brotherly loyalty, and political fealty while fully capitalizing on the quintessential appeal of tales heavy on sword fights and hoofbeats.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2006
Ellie, Will, and Gavin return in this second installment that has all the stuff of the cheesiest of bodice-rippers. But Grant allows her narrative to rise above the obvious temptations, with twelfth-century characters and their motivations completely recognizable and in keeping with the times. Readers of "Blood Red Horse" will find themselves eminently satisfied.

(Copyright 2006 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)