The Heretic's Tomb [Paperback]

Simon Rose (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: 2 and up

While exploring a medieval archaeological site containing the ruins of an ancient abbey, Annie discovers the long-forgotten tomb of Lady Isabella Devereaux, who had been condemned to death as a heretic. When Annie picks up a mysterious amulet that she finds in the tomb, she is suddenly hurtled back to the Middle Ages, encountering sorcery, treachery, treason and the ghastly horrors of the Black Death.

Simon Rose was born in Derbyshire, England and has lived in Canada since 1990. Simon and his two children live in Calgary, Alberta.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Simon RoseSimon Rose is the author of five titles for Tradewind, including The Clone Conspiracy, The Sorcerer's Letterbox and Alchemist's Portrait. He was born in Derbyshire, England and has lived in Canada since 1990. Simon and his two children live in Calgary, Alberta.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Tradewind Books; CHILDF edition (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1896580920
• ISBN-13: 978-1896580920
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,686,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Simon Rose was born in Derbyshire, England and has lived in Calgary, Canada since 1990. His first novel for young readers, The Alchemist's Portrait, was published in 2003 followed by The Sorcerer's Letterbox in 2004, The Clone Conspiracy in 2005, The Emerald Curse in 2006, The Heretic's Tomb in 2007 and The Doomsday Mask in 2009. He is also a contributing author to The Complete Guide to Writing Science Fiction Volume One.

A seventh novel for middle grades, The Time Camera, will be published in 2011, along with The Insistence of Memory, a novel for young adults. He is also a contributing author to The Complete Guide to Writing Science Fiction Volume One, has written several non-fiction books for younger readers with Weigl Educational Publishers, has a regular column 'Simon Says' with the National Writing for Children Center and works as a writer for Dark Roasted Blend online magazine.

He offers a wide variety of presentations, workshops and author in residence programs for schools and libraries, covering such topics as the writing process, editing and revision, where ideas come from and how writers turn them into stories, character development, historical fiction and historical research, story structure, the publishing world and more. He also offers virtual author visits by video using Skype. He works as a creative writing instructor for home school students throughout the year and at summer camps each July and August, is an instructor for adults with Chinook Learning Services, University of Calgary and at the National Writing for Children Center, and offers a variety of online workshops for both children and adults.

Simon is a regular presenter at conferences and festivals, and served as a juror for the Governor General's Literary Awards for Children's Literature, the Saskatchewan Book Awards, the Parsec Awards and the Sunburst Award for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic. He is the founder of Children's Authors and Illustrators on Facebook, the Assistant Regional Advisor for SCBWI Western Canada and organizes the Calgary Children's Book Fair and Conference, held in conjunction with the Children's Fiction Writing Award, each November.

Simon offers a number of services for writers, including manuscript evaluation, editing, writing workshops and coaching, plus copywriting services for the business community, full details of which can be found at his website www.simon-rose.com. You can also visit his blog at http://simon-rose.blogspot.com/, his channel on YouTube, follow him on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you like action and adventure in a historical setting you'll love The Heretic's Tomb by Simon Rose, April 15, 2009

By 

Barbara Ehrentreu - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Heretic's Tomb (Paperback)

Lady Isabella Devereaux lived a comfortable life with her husband and children until the plague took all of that away from her. Unaffected by the devastating disease, Lady Isabella turned to the thankless job of helping the dying plague victims, since they benefited from her healing ways. One day her travels took her to another healer who offered her a book of secrets which included how to forge a very unusual amulet. The book and the amulet proved a dangerous combination.

When Annie, a modern day girl falls through the boards of the excavation on which her father, an archaeologist, is working, Isabella's and Annie's life suddenly entwine. Annie is thrust into the world of the Middle Ages in an attempt to find the truth about Isabella's life.

In this historical middle grade fantasy, the medieval part brings the reader deeply into a world where the Black Plague has cast its shadow on society and seeing the dead each day becomes a normal occurrence. Will Annie survive? Does she uncover the truth? Why has she suddenly time traveled to the Middle Ages? All of these questions are answered when you read The Heretic's Tomb by Simon Rose.

Told in both Isabella's and Annie's points of view the story is an excellent depiction of medieval life and would be a great accompaniment for a unit on this period. It brings to life the struggles of living in this time by showing the experiences of various groups of people and how they coped with destruction and despair.

I recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn more about this tumultuous time and enjoys both fantasy and adventure. It's a quick and fun read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Heretic's Tomb, December 15, 2008

By 

C. Dutra "Carma's Window" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Heretic's Tomb (Paperback)

The Heretic's Tomb bridges the gap between the 14th century and current times as it takes the reader back in time to the Black Death or more commonly referred to as the plague. The first sentence puts the reader right in the middle of it. "Lady Isabella Devereaux watched black plumes of smoke rise from the nearby village of Thornbury. More bodies were being burned."

The first half of the story sets the stage with suspicions of heresy against Lady Isabella who possess an amulet, believed to have magical powers. The amulet is coveted by Sir Roger de Walsingham, seasoned warrior for King Edward. Sir Roger has evil plans for the amulet and will do almost anything to possess it.

The modern day protagonist, Annie, finds herself swept back into time when she falls down an old chimney shaft and finds a piece of metal with some of the same markings as the family heirloom around her neck. What happens next is astonishing.

Filled with suspense and the ruthless harassment against Lady Isabella by Sir Roger, The Heretic's Tomb depicts the hardships that people faced during that time. Medical knowledge was at a minimum and skepticism of anything new permeated among rich and poor alike.

Simon Rose method of combining two different worlds is seamless. Rose keeps the focus narrow so the story line flows smoothly. This is a great fantasy with realistic facts and is not far reached. Rose has created a strong balance between the two characters. Middle grade children will enjoy the adventure as Annie tries to help Lady Isabella and stay out of Sir Roger's way.