Blood Red Horse
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You need three things to become a brave and noble knight: A warhorse. A fair maiden. A just cause.Will has a horse—a small chestnut stallion with a white blaze in his brow. Ellie is a fair maiden, but she’s supposed to marry Will’s older brother, Gavin. And as for the cause, King Richard is calling for a Crusade. The Knights of England must go to the Holy Land to fight.Will and Gavin will go. Blood will be shed. Lives will be taken. But through it all, two things will be constant—Ellie, and a blood-red horse called Hosanna. . . .School Library JournalGr 5-9-Based on the Third Crusade with England's King Richard I and the Muslim leader Saladin, this novel takes readers from the de Granvilles' Hartslove Castle to the bloody battlefields of the Middle East. It is a story of loyalty, honor, and nobility and centers around the lives of two brothers, Gavin and William; the fair maiden Eleanor whom they leave behind; and Will's beloved red horse. Readers are caught up in the bloody battles, with alternating chapters revealing what is happening on the "home front," and in the Christian and in the Muslim camps. Tying these stories together is the red horse, Hosanna, who is the book's most compelling and empathetic character. The futility of war is a theme throughout and readers will discover that, much like war today, combat in the 12th century had devastating consequences. The historical setting and the vocabulary may challenge younger readers but ensure that older ones will find the book a rewarding adventure, one not soon forgotten and one that lends itself to great discussion.-Denise Moore, O'Gorman Junior High School, Sioux Falls, SD Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
