The Knight and the Squire by Terry Jones

The Squire's Adventures #1

by Terry Jones

Tom runs away from the boring life he leads in 14th century England and teams up with the terrifying Wol fman. They journey to France to fight for king and country i n this humorous and sometimes highly dramatic tale '

Genres: Childrens, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, Medieval, Humor

Paperback

First published October 1, 1997

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Terence Graham Parry Jones was a Welsh actor, comedian, director, historian, writer and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe.
After graduating from Oxford University with a degree in English, Jones and writing partner Michael Palin wrote and performed for several high-profile British comedy programmes, including Do Not Adjust Your Set and The Frost Report, before creating Monty Python's Flying Circus with Cambridge graduates Graham Chapman, John Cleese, and Eric Idle and American animator-filmmaker Terry Gilliam. Jones was largely responsible for the programme's innovative, surreal structure, in which sketches flowed from one to the next without the use of punch lines. He made his directorial debut with Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which he co-directed with Gilliam, and also directed the subsequent Python films Life of Brian and The Meaning of Life.
Jones co-created and co-wrote with Palin the anthology series Ripping Yarns. He also wrote an early draft of Jim Henson's film Labyrinth and is credited with the screenplay, though little of his work actually remained in the final cut. Jones was a well-respected medieval historian, having written several books and presented television documentaries about the period, as well as a prolific children's author. In 2016, Jones received a Lifetime Achievement award at the BAFTA Cymru Awards for his outstanding contribution to television and film. After living for several years with a degenerative aphasia, he gradually lost the ability to speak and died in 2020 from frontotemporal dementia.

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story for children from ex-Monty Python member Terry Jones, who happens to be a specialist in Mediæval history as well as a very funny and creative man.

The story concerns the adventures of Tom, a bright English lad of about twelve, who gets fed up having to learn to read (even though it was an unusual privilege in those days) and live within the confines of his village his whole life, so decides to run away and have adventures. Tom wants to become a squire to a knight, travel to far off lands and defeat the enemies of England, as told to him in stories. He knows he will be pursued by his master’s men and severely punished if he is caught and ends up having to dash into the heart of the enormous forest to get away – where wolves live!

Later, he meets someone called Alan, who is a bit older than him, and very different. Alan thinks on his feet, is always ‘ducking and diving’ in order to both survive and make a better life for himself, although he often gets into trouble, so Tom spends quite a lot of time running away from angry people.

This is the first in a trilogy about Tom and Alan’s adventures, and I can tell you that Alan is harbouring a big secret that is revealed near the end of the book – you might even be more surprised than Tom to find out what it is!

The story is well written and ideal for youngsters. It is very funny at times, as well as exciting. You also learn quite a few things about life in the Middle Ages, and Terry Jones occasionally uses quite sophisticated language, so the story is quite educational, though that is understated and won’t put off children who just want to enjoy the story. I enjoyed it, too.

[Araceli.libros · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

(Primera lectura en 2007).
Creo que no fue una buena idea releer este favorito de la infancia. Me gustó, pero no deja de ser un libro para niños, y la voz del narrador se me hacía molesta por momentos. Además, a pesar de haberlo leído hace como diez años, todavía me acuerdo de todo, y no hubo sorpresas ni redescubrimientos. Hay libros que se bancan las relecturas, otros no tanto.
Me pasó lo mismo con Harry Potter 3, considerado uno de mis favoritos hasta que lo releí y bueno, no lo fue más xD.
Prefiero recordarlos como los leí en su momento...

[Sharla · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy name Tom growing up in medieval England decides one day that he's had enough of living as a serf. He decides to escape his life and ends up meeting all type of people from a wolfman living alone in the woods to a strange knight and his energetic squire Alan. He always ends up at the wrong place at the wrong time. I love this story, it was exciting, quick and made me laugh. The most entertaining part of this book is Tom's humorous assessments of the people around him and life in general. I highly recommend.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've previously read some of Terry Jones non-fiction history books, and they were great—some humour in there, lots of interesting details, and you can almost hear Jones' distinctive voice as you read. So I thought I'd give this a go. It's a fictional adventure set in the 14th century, as Tom runs away from his village to escape being sent to the local abbey because he's really good at Latin. Along the way he meets up with Alan, another boy who is squire to a knight, and all three of them head off to France with the King. Tom has plenty of adventures along the way, as he and Alan (and occasionally the knight) work their way out of assorted sticky situations.

This is very much a book for kids, and while they'd probably enjoy this a lot—and learn a few things about 14th century life along the way—unfortunately, it really didn't grab my attention. If I'm being totally honest, I think for me this was a 2.5 star book, but I'm rounding up to 3. It was a nice light diversion after the doorstop epic fantasy binge I've just been on, but I can't really say it was any more than that.

[Lia Marcoux · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was totally charming! Terry Jones does a great job, so the history is plausible and well-researched, while never seeming heavy-handed or solely educational. His dialogue is great. He has a knack for making what would have been anachronistic speech sound natural and true, like in a TV show set in a foreign country where the characters speak English but we all accept that THEY hear Swedish. A great pick for any middle-grade list.

Also, Michael Foreman's illustrations are pretty much my new favorite!

[cande!a · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es la segunda vez que leo este libro. La primera fue hace miles de años, el mismo ejemplar, sacado de la biblioteca. Cuando lo volví a tomar prestado hace un par de semanas apenas recordaba la trama, tan sólo el final, que me había sorprendido bastante. Decidí volver a leer uno de esos libros que de niña fueron de mis favoritos, y me he descubierto levemente engancha a esa historia infantil y sencilla que lo que más me ha aportado han sido recuerdos y sonrisas.

[Honoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Terry Jones writes a book, I am prepared to embark upon it with the greatest goodwill and enthusiasm. In this instance, I selected this for my young daughter to read, and (as always, with good children's fiction) read it myself. After the first paragraph or two, I forgot that I was reading a book by Terry Jones, and just enjoyed the story, the characters, and enjoyable way Jones weaves history into pleasurable fiction. He remains, my kinda guy!

[Cintia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read it when I was 13, I remember I finished a Math exam, and as everyone else kept working on it, I read and I had to contain my laughter, because the whole classroom was silent. I loved it, it made me laugh really hard, and it has a lot of surprises! I recommend this book for children and pre-teens (at least, I read it at that age). Very good!

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't quite know how the author did it, but he captured my attention and interest from the very first. This was a completely riveting story as Tom, the main character, plunged from one adventure immediately into another. Certainly it was written with young readers in mind, but I found it fun and exciting as well.

[Thomas Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-told adventure story of a bright boy who runs away from an English village in the late 1300s, and becomes a squire to a knight in France. Terry Jones knows his history. The reader can trust his descriptions of the world at the time. Several parts of the plot require suspension of disbelief.

[Matías · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Te parecerá extraño, pero lo que siempre había soñado hacer no para nada tan emocionante como las cosas inesperadas -susurró Tom".

Recomendado para quien quiera algo ligero, divertido o que seas de joven y deseas leer algo entretenido.

3.4/5

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining and imaginative story, spoilt in its last pages by a curiously flaccid ending that presumably leads to a sequel.
Terry Jones plays the intrusive author to within an inch of his life, enjoying making jokes that aren't always relevant but would probably please readers of the age the book is mostly aimed at. There is enough humour in it as well for adult readers.
The book has some nice surprises in it, and plenty of adventures for his main character. If anything, it's a bit exhausting, as Tom and his friend Alan get involved with one calamity after another. But the world Jones creates has a reality about it, and doesn't mince matters when it comes to some of the nastier moments in life, especially in wartime.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did not know what to expect since it was written by a member of the 'Python Troupe but was pleased
with the result as a children's book it was easy to understand and the parts that needed explanation it was done without the long-windiness that happens in other novels (and some kids novels too).
If you've a child who is entranced by knights in armour get them to read this or Even better READ it to them you both will enjoy it and want to know what happens next, I do !!

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

El libro trata de Tom, un chico inglés que sueña con ser caballero. Para conseguir su sueño, se escapa de su casa y vive muchísimas aventuras.
Su lectura es muy ágil y el libro no se te hace nada pesado. Además de ser un libro de aventuras contiene mucho humor y una serie de plot twist, que me han gustado mucho. También te enseña mucha historia de aquellos tiempos y la manera como vivía la gente, tanto de alta como de baja clase, sin que se haga pesado.

[Ginger Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dnf would finish like Gerald Morris

[RJC · Rating 2 out of 5]

Light hearted, aimed at younger readers, enjoyable.

[Elzbeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a remarkably silly book. I loved it. It was young and definitely some parts were dumb, but it’s just so silly, you can’t help but enjoy it!

[Jess]

This is an AWESOME book. I really really enjoyed reading it yesterday.

[Harriet · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Jennifer Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Time is too precious to waste on not only a bad book, but even a mediocre book. I read about 125 pages into this book, but I just couldn't take it any more.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute kid's series. Wish I could find these in the States because I'd love to read more of them.

[Matea · Rating 2 out of 5]

i don't think i liked this book, but i can't remember.