Castle at War: The Story of a Siege

by Andrew Langley, Peter Dennis (Illustrator)

Describes, in brief text and illustrations, how the inhabitants of a medieval castle prepared for war and endured a siege.

Genres: History, Medieval

48 pages, Hardcover

First published November 5, 1998

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author with this name on GR

Reviews

[Ledys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative book, and a great resource for children and adults alike. The information is organized by chapters that revolve around different aspects of what would be involved in a siege, beginning with how and why a castle is built, and the features that make it a unique form of architecture, who is involved in its construction, who are the people who live there and how they can expect to defend it, how the attackers plan to break the defense, all through the final chapters about how castles fell into disuse and blurbs depicting real-life sieges. It was a fascinating read, highly recommended for people interested in the time period as a starting point for more research.

[Rebecca Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Castle at War: The Story of a Siege" is an interesting resource that could be used to teach many things. Yes, we can teach about castles and different sieges that have taken place, but there are life lessons here as well. The emphasis placed on preparation, teamwork, and creating a firm foundation provide an interesting and fun opportunity to share the importance of these things with children. The images and "story line" are interesting and useful. Overall, this is pretty good stuff!

[Doreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent, concise yet in-depth, account of feudal war and court life in medieval Europe. It gives you the basics without overwhelming you with details. Not a scholarly book, but a great introduction for those interested in the times.