The Door in the Wall

Today we just finished chapter one of The Door in the Wall by Marguerite deAngeli; we are already entranced and can't wait til tomorrow. Ten-year-old Robin ought to have begun serving as a page on the way to knighthood, but has through illness lost the use of his legs. He is being cared for in the monastery of St. Mark by Brother Luke, and must learn patience and courage to overcome his handicap. The book paints a lovely and accurate portrait of life in the Middle Ages, weaving seamlessly into the story details such as where English surnames and words like "window" and "sheriff "come from, what houses and clothing were like, the plague, the training of a boy for knighthood, the hours of prayer, and the religious life. I'm so glad I stumbled across this book --it is a wonderful, well written and well researched story with a rich vocabulary which should be on everyone's reading list to accompany medieval history studies.