Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!

Schlitz, L.A.  (2007).  Good masters!  Sweet ladies!  Massachusetts:  Candlewick Press.

The reader gets an inside look of how young people struggled to live and survive in a medieval village in England during 1255, as well as how they are all interconnected with one another, no matter their job or station.  The actions (or inactions) of one character have either a positive or negative effect in how they view themselves and their current living situations.  And though some of these characters are accepting of their station, there are others trying to cope with what will never change, and a slight few doing what they can to have a better life.  Robert Byrd’s illustrations finely detailed and wonderfully done in vibrant colors that are fitting for this historic re-telling of a medieval time period.  With Schlitz providing detailed background information of these historical times, as well as sidenotes, this makes a perfect read for secondary kids and is a great resource for history teachers reviewing the medieval time period.  An interesting aspect of this literary work though is its use of literary elements (such as monologue, rhyme, and meter), which also makes this resourceful for English teachers.  This is a 2008 Newbery Medal Winner.