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Kevin Crossley-Holland Books

Medieval life meets Arthurian magic in a novel that transcends boundaries of time and age, appealing to children of 9+ and older readers alike. The winner of the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize and the Smarties Prize bronze award in 2001, this timeless novel is stunningly reissued for a new generation.

The year is 1199, the place the Welsh Marches. Young Arthur de Caldicot is given a magical shining stone in which his legendary namesake is revealed. In 100 short chapters that brilliantly evoke life in a medieval manor, stories of the boy King Arthur begin to echo – and anticipate – the secrets and mysteries that emerge in his own life.

The gods of the Vikings come to life as never before in this extraordinary illustrated anthology by Carnegie Medal-winning author Kevin Crossley-Holland and artist Jeffrey Alan Love.
These dramatic, enthralling and atmospheric tales are based on the Scandinavian myth cycle – one of the greatest and most culturally significant stories in the world – and tell of Odin with his one eye, Thor with his mighty hammer and Loki, the red-haired, shape-shifting trickster. In this stunning collection of myths, the strange world of ancient magic, giants, dwarfs and monsters is unforgettably imagined.

Kata and Tor is set in the Anglo-Saxon and Viking period, just before the Battle of Hastings.

Tor, our male hero, is the son of Viking King Harald Horgrada and has been sent out as a scout to York. His mission faces catastrophe when his boat is damaged and his friend drowns, but this tragedy leads to him meeting Anglo-Saxon girl Kata.

The story follows Tor as he battles the need to stay loyal to his father while falling in love with Kata. It is a wonderful story with plenty of excitement and a little bit of Romeo-and-Juliet-style romance between a Viking and a Saxon, too.

The setting is perfect for older primary and younger secondary children who are investigating this time period and offers lots of historical detail to use as a basis for research into life during this time.

King Alfred ruled over the West Saxons from his base in the city of Winchester. He travelled widely across his kingdom, taking his court with him. But despite his great responsibilities, he made time to learn another language – Latin. Why? So he could read the many books written (all of them in Latin) about far-flung places and add his own stories from England and Northern Europe to them.

One day, a traveller came to his court with a tale to tell. He told a tale of an epic journey to a distant land where the head of the community had just died. His body was stored in a coffin of ice whilst his people paid their respects and his money was shared, before being ceremoniously burned. The traveller then travelled back to England, taking his story with him.

This is a beautiful and vivid retelling of a real account recorded on behalf of King Alfred. Chris Riddell’s illustrations are stunningly atmospheric and bring to life an ancient tale. A great book to share with a class, especially when studying Saxon times.

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