Kevin Crossley-Holland – författare

Arthur de Caldicot arrives at Holt to be squire to Lord Stephen and accompany him on crusade. It is an exciting and bewildering time for him as he finds a warhorse, is fitted with armour, and improves his fighting skills. He dreads a confrontation with his blood-father, the violent Sir William, and dreams of finding his true mother; he discovers girls ¿ including the vivacious Winnie de Verdon whom he rescues from burning to death; he has to deal with the aftermath of a murder; he sees the sea for the first time, sails to France and finally takes the Cross. And meanwhile these events are reflected in his seeing stone, in stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.Packed with incident, wonderful characters, and fascinating historical detail, and interwoven with brilliant retellings of Arthurian legends, this is a glorious follow-up to THE SEEING STONE.

Medieval life meets Arthurian magic in a novel that transcends boundaries of time and age, appealing to children of 9+ and older readers alike. The final book in the trilogy from the winner of the Guardian Children''s Fiction Prize and the Smarties Prize bronze award is a timeless novel.It is 1202, and thousands of knights and footsoldiers are mustering in Venice for the Fourth Crusade. Among them is young Arthur de Caldicot, whose experiences in the crusades opened his eyes to the realities of war. Looking into his seeing stone for guidance, he realises that the exploits of King Arthur and his knights, like those of the crusaders, are as grim as they are glorious.War, romance, murder, family quarrels, power and politics combine in a marvellous ending to a trilogy that has utterly captivated its readers.

From the winner of the Guardian Children''s Prize, comes a story of Medieval times, told from an entirely new perspective. Gatty the village girl - steadfast, forthright, innocent and wise - has never been further than her own village. But when she is is picked by Lady Gwyneth of Ewloe to join her band of pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem, Gatty''s previously sheltered life changes forever. A joyful, heartrending, triumphant novel that creates a magnificently vivid and realistic picture of life and times in 1202, shown through the eyes of a young girl.Shortlisted for the 2008 Carnegie Medal, this is a companion novel to the Arthur trilogy (The Seeing Stone, At the Crossing Places, King of the Middle March).

In these pages, Kevin Crossley-Holland visits the foreign land of childhood. First memories as a war-baby; starting a museum; being coached at Lord''s; living above the spring line below the great chalk cross at Whiteleaf in the Chiltern Hills, and roaming in the beechwoods; holidays on the north Norfolk coast; falling under the spell of Arthurian legend... Above all, The Hidden Roads revolves around the sanctity and splintering of family, and the bonding of brother and sister, and is steeped in the landscapes and layers of England.