The Book of Tormod #1: A Templar's Apprentice (1) - Hardcover

Black, Kat

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0545056543 ISBN 13: 9780545056540

Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2009

Synopsis

Scotland. 1307. Thirteen-year-old Tormod MacLeod is different. He knows things before they happen. Even his own brother treats him differently, and all Tormod can do is bide his time until he's old enough to leave the village and make something of himself. His chance comes sooner than expected when a Templar knight asks him to deliver a secret message. But Tormod's efforts end up endangering both their lives. What follows is a desperate journey to escape the army of King Philippe le Bel of France. If he is to survive, Tormod must learn to harness the powers within.

About this title

About the Author

Before turning her talents to writing, Kat Black was a designer and the creative force behind Walter Lorraine Books. To achieve the historical and cultural accuracy for The Book of Tormod: A TEMPLAR'S APPRENTICE, her first novel, she traveled through Scotland in search of Templar lore. She lives with her family in Lynn, Massachusetts.

Reviews

Grade 6–9—It is 1307 in Scotland, and 13-year-old Tormod is rushing through the night to fetch a tinderbox to light the Beltane fire for his village when a Knight Templar interrupts his errand to send him on another that is even more pressing. Tormod spends the entire tale rushing from one place to another in the company of Sir Alexander as they follow a map without knowing what lies at the end and are pursued by the French king's soldiers. The constant chase is exciting at first but begins to grind, particularly after Tormod loses two toes in a mishap and must still continue his flight on foot. The historical setting is well drawn, and additional interest is added by visions that both Tormod and Alexander receive, although the images seem to be invariably of death and doom. Their dialogue is written in a pseudo-brogue, so there are many examples of "ye" and "o'" (for "of") but otherwise their speech is modern. The visions and the Templar theme may interest readers but they may be drawn up short at the cliff-hanger ending.—Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids, WI
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Young Tormod longs for adventure, but as a farm boy living in early-fourteenth-century Scotland, that’s not likely. Then a mysterious figure gives him a parchment to deliver, and Tormod realizes that adventure has found him. Soon Tormod finds himself at sea with his mentor, Alexander, a member of the Knights Templar, who shares with Tormod a propensity for visions. First-time novelist Black sets up an action-filled plot that neatly skips across countries and moves about in time and space. Although some of the religious and historical background may not grab readers (and as the author acknowledges in a note, a bit of the history has been manipulated), much of the rest will. Tormod makes a worthy protagonist, filled with doubts, yet determined to succeed once his path becomes clear. Grades 6-9. --Ilene Cooper

Edition details

• Publisher: Scholastic Press
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0545056543
• ISBN 13: 9780545056540
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288