The Siege of Caerlaverock

In a draughty castle in Scotland in the year 1300, a young laundress called Ada creeps into the tower to clandestinely deliver bread to the captured English noble Colban Graham. Unfortunately, Ada thinks she’s been spotted helping the prisoner by the cruel Castle Commander, Brian de Berclay, and he will want her head to roll. Soon, however, this becomes subsumed into a larger problem – Scotland is at war with England, Lord Maxwell is away with most of the fighting men, Caerlaverock is the first castle over the border, and King Edward is on his way to lay siege with an army of 3,000…

At only 159 pages, and mainly set over one day, this is a story that zips along like one of the arrows fired over the castle ramparts. Barbara Henderson brings the harshness of the Middle Ages so vividly to life, with all the damp and cold and stink that entails.

Fans of historical adventure fiction will love this book. An excellent introduction to the period, breathing life into a period many pupils may know little about.