I cannot honestly say that this was a good book. While I recognize the author's intentions to be humorous and to play with myth and historical chronology, it just doesn't seem to have worked out the way he intended. For one thing, my daughter was totally lost (and she is, in essence, of the age of Newman's target audience -- though I think the book is better suited toward fourteen-year-old boys than eight- to twelve-year-old girls).

Another problem is that the plot is too neat. Everything seems to work out just so, and each chapter is so tidily packaged. Consequently, the story does not progress very well, but rather reads in a series of fits and spurts with seemingly random plot elements that all suddenly fall quite perfectly into place at the very end. While this is certainly very considerate of the author and editor, it doesn't make for a very engaging story. Such perfect resolution does not allow for much character development.

That said, it has made a good bedtime story for the last month+. Each chapter is almost exactly twenty pages long, so we know in advance exactly how long it will take us to read through each night's chapter. And the book has given us an excellent opportunity to discuss new medieval vocabulary, such has "hauberk" and "Pict." I suppose any excuse for a little historical knowledge is a good one. So at least there's that.