Title: Here Lies Arthur
Author: Philip Reeve
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
Genre: Young Adult- Historical Fiction
Age level: Grades 7-10
Themes: Solving mysteries, exploring legends, adventure
Synopsis: Here Lies Arthur is an alternative take on the Arthurian legend, centering on the adventures of a young English girl named Gwynna. Made homeless when the Arthur of legend and his war band sack the homestead of her lord, she flees the battle and is later rescued in the woods by Myrddin, a bard who serves Arthur as an advisor and magician. Myrddin, a man who is agnostic by nature, uses Gwynna to masquerade as the lady of the lake and then raises her as a boy through the early part of her life. Gwynna watches the exploits of Arthur as she grows up, contrasting the rough, brutal man with the heroic stories Myrddin creates about him. The book ultimately follows her adventures and how they are intertwined with the legend of Arthur.
Synopsis: Here Lies Arthur is an alternative take on the Arthurian legend, centering on the adventures of a young English girl named Gwynna. Made homeless when the Arthur of legend and his war band sack the homestead of her lord, she flees the battle and is later rescued in the woods by Myrddin, a bard who serves Arthur as an advisor and magician. Myrddin, a man who is agnostic by nature, uses Gwynna to masquerade as the lady of the lake and then raises her as a boy through the early part of her life. Gwynna watches the exploits of Arthur as she grows up, contrasting the rough, brutal man with the heroic stories Myrddin creates about him. The book ultimately follows her adventures and how they are intertwined with the legend of Arthur.
About the author: Philip Reeve was born in Brighton in 1966. He has one younger sister. He wrote his first story at the tender age of five; it was about a spaceman called Spike and his dog Spook. He went to St Luke’s School in Queens Park, Brighton. Philip and his wife Sarah moved from Brighton to Devon in 1998, and now live on Dartmoor, where their son Sam was born in 2002.
Pre-reading activities: Through looking at the cover of the book, have students write down their first reactions to the picture. Have them think about the symbol and what they think the sword means- power, authority, people should fear it. Also the students can brainstorm a list of heroes (Batman, Superman, The Hulk, etc) and why they are known to be heroic, like the things that they do.
Post-reading activities: After reading about the heroic stories, the students will write down qualities of what makes a good hero and who the hero was in this book.
Reflection: This book is more of the science fiction genre and had more of a mystical theme to it, which is what I don't usually read. Even though I don't usually read these kinds of books, I did think it was very interesting. The vocabulary was very simple, so even older children could read it without difficulty. Also, the chapters were only about 5-6 pages total, if even that, so the students could feel like they were reading effortlessly.
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