MIDDLE AGES(Spotlight Guides)
Sarah McNeill
978-1-78121-260-8 | Paperback | 48 pages | 6.9″ x 9.1″
List Price: $7.99
DESCRIPTION
Featuring detailed, informative text, stunning imagery and colorful diagrams, as well as helpful timelines and glossaries, the Spotlight series offers an engaging and richly illustrated glimpse into a range of fascinating topics from the worlds of history and science. Exploring the stunning cathedrals, towering castles, and thrilling histories of this misunderstood period, this engaging book shines a brilliantly illustrated light on the so-called ‘dark’ ages.
REVIEWS
“Gr 4-6. These series entries make generous use of colorful, attractive illustrations and have succinctly written texts. The many drawings show artifacts, architecture, domestic scenes, and some simple maps. Grant introduces the community and home life of the Vikings, their customs and culture, trade, exploration and conquests, and arts and crafts. Hazel Mary Martell’s Everyday Life in Viking Times (Watts, 1994) is similar in scope. McNeill includes topics such as social structure and education during the Middle Ages and describes castle, monastic, and country life. Andrew Langley’s Medieval Life (Knopf, 1996) offers similar background material and includes many photographs of artifacts and costumes. Neither Grant nor McNeill provide enough information for reports, but the eye-appealing packages will be useful introductions.”
Cynthia M. Sturgis, Ledding Library, Milwaukie, OR, School Library Journal
“This entry in the Spotlights series consists of two-page spreads that focus on one topic, with a paragraph or two of introduction, a large full-color picture with several captions, an inset, and a row of artifacts at the bottom. Topics covered include knights, castles, peasants, exploration, home life, monks, art, and more. As an introduction to the subject this is quick and entertaining, although the lack of a reading list limits its usefulness as a jumping-off point to further research. The brevity of the information may frustrate readers; under ‘Towns and Crafts,’ the author says ‘houses were built so that each story was wider than the one below,’ but doesn’t say why. The sections dealing with food and agriculture will confuse those unaccustomed to the British use of the word ‘corn’ to refer to any cereal crop. This is a passable starting point, but other volumes cover the subject more thoroughly and precisely. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 9-12)”
Kirkus Reviews
AUTHOR BIO
Sarah McNeill is a published author of several history books for children, primarily focused on the Ancient Egyptians and Romans.