Adam of the Road

by Elizabeth Janet Gray

            In 13^th century England,  Adam, the son of Roger the minstrel, is ready to live life on the road with his father so that one day, he too can become a minstrel.  His father picks him up from school and Adam is finally living his dream until his dog is stolen.  And then, while looking for his dog, he gets separated from his father and loses him too.  Now he has to survive on his own on the road while trying to find his father and dog.

            This was a great book.  It had an entertaining story that wove in a lot of what it was like to live during medieval times.  It moves along at a good pace, has a very readable style and the reader meets many interesting characters and sees a lot of 13^th century scenery as Adam makes his way along the road looking for his father and dog.  There was even “news” of the Magna Carta.

            I read this with my son for his 8^th grade history and we both really liked it.  Well, I really liked it.  My son “was able to pay attention to it” which, from him, is high praise.  Back in my 8^th grade days, I would have happily read this book for fun and would have been ecstatic if this were the sort of thing we were reading in history class.