I Am Mordred: A Tale from Camelot - Hardcover

Springer, Nancy

3.68

2,366 ratings by Goodreads

9780399231438: I Am Mordred: A Tale from Camelot

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399231439 ISBN 13: 9780399231438

Publisher: Philomel, 1998

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After a prophecy by Merlin that Mordred will grow up to kill his father, the beloved King Arthur, young Mordred struggles with fate, loathing the great king who tried to kill him as a baby, but he travels to Camelot, where he learns to idolize his father.

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Review:

King Arthur has fascinated young people for centuries, and since fantasy literature has become a passion for so many bright teens, a whole body of writing has developed that reimagines Arthurian stories in ways that make them psychologically relevant today--without losing the magical resonance of Camelot. In I Am Mordred, Nancy Springer, known both for her fantasy writing and the realistic novel Toughing It, brings the central father-son conflict of the Arthurian saga vividly alive. Teen fantasy fans will be familiar with the background events: the young King Arthur, unaware, bedded his half sister Morgause and conceived the child Mordred, who according to the wizard Merlin, was fated to destroy his father and the kingdom. Goaded by Merlin, Arthur attempted to have the baby killed, but was foiled by the intervention of the good sorceress Nyneve and the evil sorceress Morgan le Fay. Years later Mordred arrives at Camelot and becomes a knight of the Round Table. Springer focuses on Mordred at age 15, as he struggles against his destined fate of killing the king and father he both loves and hates. In an adventure story festooned with the golden bells of enchantment, Mordred undertakes a quest in the Forest Perilous to save Arthur's life and his own soul, but ultimately fails. Springer brings the story to a moving and ingenious conclusion in which the prophecy is fulfilled--and simultaneously overcome. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell

About the Author:

Nancy Springer has published forty novels for adults, young adults and children. In a career beginning shortly after she graduated from Gettysburg College in 1970, Springer wrote for ten years in the imaginary realms of mythological fantasy, then ventured on contemporary fantasy, magical realism, and women's fiction before turning her attention to children's literature. Her novels and stories for middle-grade and young adults range from contemporary realism, mystery/crime, and fantasy to her critically acclaimed novels based on the Arthurian mythos, I AM MORDRED: A TALE OF CAMELOT and I AM MORGAN LE FAY. Springer's children's books have won her two Edgar Allan Poe awards, a Carolyn W. Field award, various Children's Choice honors and numerous ALA Best Book listings. Her most recent series include the Tales of Rowan Hood, featuring Robin Hood’s daughter, and the Enola Holmes mysteries, starring the much younger sister of Sherlock Holmes.

Ms. Springer lives in East Berlin, Pennsylvania.

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