Parsifal's Page (The Squire's Tales) [Hardcover]

Gerald Morris (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: The Squire's Tales

Piers is desperate to become a page to escape the dirty, tedious labor of his father’s blacksmith shop. So when a knight arrives announcing that he’s on “the quest,” Piers begs to go along. Off on a series of adventures he never dreamed possible, Piers and the knight quickly run into difficulties. The knight is slain by Parsifal who is on a quest of his own.
Parsifal is unlike anyone Piers has ever met. He doesn’t behave “knightly” at all. Slowly, Piers realizes that being a knight has nothing to do with shining armor and winning jousts. And, as their journey continues, they find that to achieve their quest they must learn more than knighthood: they must learn about themselves.
The tale of Parsifal has been told more than that of any other knight, but no one has ever told his story quite like Gerald Morris does in his fourth Arthurian novel, another tour de force of humor, action, magic, and, as always, true love.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-As he did in The Squire's Tale (Houghton, 1998), the author retells a knight's legend from the perspective of his helper and companion. In this entertaining and substantive story, Piers's wanderlust takes him to the court of King Arthur where he meets up with a lost soul, Parsifal, who longs to be a knight. Piers's mother has regaled him with stories of her life as a maid-in-waiting at the French court, so he has grown up with lofty ideas and the ambition to become a knight's page. Parsifal is clearly in need of his expertise. Readers familiar with the legend will recognize the main events. After Parsifal fails to ask "the" question and realizes his mistake, he continues his Grail quest alone, and Piers joins Sir Gawain and his page on further adventures, thus continuing the story begun in The Squire's Tale. Piers's overly earnest attempts to do the right thing and Gawain's wit provide most of the humor in the story, but the author avoids cheapening the significance of the Grail quest. Readers unfamiliar with Parsifal and Gawain's stories may wish for a "who's who" to keep up with the characters, but the sheer fun of this novel will keep them going. Unfortunately, the cover art looks like a video game and doesn't fit the story. Once past it, Arthurian fans will be hooked by the great writing. Katherine Paterson's Parzival (Dutton, 1998) is a more traditional retelling that would appeal to similar readers.-Cheri Estes, Detroit Country Day School Middle School, Beverly Hills, MI

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. Morris continues his interpretation of Arthurian lore, begun with The Squire's Tale (1998). Eleven-year-old Piers is on an errand to King Arthur's court when Parsifal arrives, an ignorant, innocent young man asking to be made a knight. Piers soon becomes his page and companion, and Parsifal's adventures are seen through his eyes. Adventure is the key word here, for the emphasis is on action, magic, and heroism rather than reflection or spirituality. In the appended author's note, Morris explains that his version of Parsifal's tale is based on Wolfram von Eschenbach's fifteenth-century retelling. Some readers may prefer Katherine Paterson's Parzeval: The Quest of the Grail Knight (1998), based on the same source and written with more dignity and restraint; Morris' version is Piers' story more than Parsifal's. Libraries where Morris's Arthurian series has a following will certainly want to add this to their fiction collections. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (March 26, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618055096
• ISBN-13: 978-0618055098
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,139,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gerald Morris grew up in Singapore, where his parents were Baptist missionaries. Singapore was a great, safe place to grow up, and he remembers that time with fond nostalgia. (Ditto for being Baptist, actually.) Since reaching adulthood, he has worked as a minister, a religion professor, a landscaper, and a teacher, all to support his predilection for writing children's novels. Or maybe the writing income supports his ministry habit.

He now lives in Wausau, Wisconsin with his wife and three kids. (Okay, one's at college and another's about to go.) There he serves as associate pastor at the First United Methodist Church, writes children's and YA novels (mostly about King Arthur), and still occasionally scapes land.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quite exciting, February 19, 2002

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Parsifal's Page (The Squire's Tales) (Hardcover)

Young Piers dreams of being a page, the servant of a knight of great renown. Adventure finds Piers in the form of a country bumpkin who wishes to be a knight, a young man by the name of Parsifal. With King Arthur's blessing, Parsifal and Piers ride out to do great deeds, and earn Parsifal's knighthood. However, for both Parsifal and Piers the ride is an education, and both have lessons to learn.

As with Gerald Morris's other books, this one is quite exciting, and written in an easy to read style. I have come to expect a lot from this author, and this book certainly delivers. It is a wonderful book, a fine example of High Medieval Arthuriana. I highly recommend this book!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, March 26, 2001

By 

~*Michele*~ (PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Parsifal's Page (The Squire's Tales) (Hardcover)

I'm so happy I finally got to read this book! Well anyway, This is a really great book, but I think the other books by Gerald Morris were a little better. Not to say that this selection was poor, but in my opinion, the other ones were better. Atleast Gerald Morris didn't loose his sense of humor!!! :-D This book is about a boy named Pier, born a black smith's son, who dreams about living in a castle. He really wants to be a page or squire, but his mother tells him otherwise. That he's too young. But when a knight passes by Pier's cottage, he seizes the oportunity and asks if the knight needs a page. So Pier gets his spot as a page and sets out on his quest. but not the kind that he was expecting. His master is very unkind and is soon defeated. So this is where Pier meets Parsifal, his new master. Later he realizes that enforcing certain manners to a great extent is not always sucsessful and the best way to go. Curiosity, is not showing stupidity and weakness, but showing humbleness. This was a really great book, and I hope you'll love it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gerald Morris still going strong!, February 3, 2002

By 

Carlin - See all my reviews

This review is from: Parsifal's Page (The Squire's Tales) (Hardcover)

I have read the entire series of Mr. Morris' books, and am in love with all of them! He brings Arthurian legend closer to us - in stories anyone can enjoy (and you learn a little about medieval customs, terms, etc.). The wit is top notch, the romance heart felt without becoming gushy, and the heroes extremely likable. Wonderful books. I can't wait until the next one is released!