Ivanhoe

by Malvina G. Vogel (Adapter), Walter Scott

In 1194 the Saxon knight Ivanhoe returns from the Crusades to a chaotic England ruled by the enemies of the absent King Richard the Lion-Hearted and finds himself disowned and dishonored, forced to fight for his name and the people he loves.

Genres: Classics, Childrens, Fiction

238 pages, Library Binding

Published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Matthew Lauderdale · Rating 4 out of 5]

My four year old daughter enjoyed this one a lot! Lots of knights, princesses, battles, etc. I don't know if she really understood what was going on, but still a fun read. I will also say that this had some of my favorite artwork out of any of the Great Illustrated Classics.

[Sharon Honeycutt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Great Illustrated Classics aren’t written as great literature, but THEY ARE great introductions to serious literature for elementary school students. My student (4th grade boy who struggles with reading) is loving this book! The battles, the mystery of different knights are right up his alley. Once upon a time, classic literature pointed us to noble people of honorable character. Would that that were still true.

Suggestion for teachers and homeschoolers: the cast of characters is complicated, keep a chart of who is on which side and whether they are Norman or Saxon.

One day I’ll read the original of this book.

[T.]

Read this a ton as a kid, and yesterday (May 21) read it aloud to the kids.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 stars from my seven year old, 3.5 from me. :)

[Natalie Nimmers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kids enjoyed this one! At various points, they needed help understanding what was happening as there were many characters and plots, but overall, a fun read!

[JKR · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve wanted to read Ivanhoe ever since I read Knight’s Castle by Edward Eager back in elementary school, but I was never able to summon the will to begin the thick Signet Classics edition on my bookshelf. So, when I saw this Great Illustrated Classics version in a bookshop - an adapted version with illustrations on every other page - I finally saw my chance and grabbed it with both hands.

It’s a pleasure to finally know the full plot, and the 110+ illustrations definitely help - but being an adapted version the prose is makeshift at best, and the story has elements of high farce and comedy which seem somewhat incongruous with its chivalric and romantic themes, although it was perhaps that very aspect that was so well exploited by Edward Eager.

[Madeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for a kids book... I've never read Ivanhoe but I feel like Amos could have handled the writing of the real deal but maybe not the subject matter intensity. Amos was really into this one. I'm currently reading a book about Richard the Lionheart and was telling Amos about it, because there was pirates, and kidnapping and lot of exciting stuff so in the first chapter of Ivanhoe, when they mention King Richard and also Robinhood! He was VERY excited. We enjoyed it, but the "kiddie-ness" or dumbed downness of the writing is not my favorite.

[J.B. Mathias · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ivanhoe is a long novel and this adaptation felt rushed and like it was trying to cram too much into too few pages. That being said it was a good overview of the story and does have me interested in reading the full novel.

Another note I have is that the illustrations were odd, they were drawn like over the top exaggerated fantasy knights but the story is a more realistic period piece and doesn't match the cover illustration which is more grounded.

[Candice Farnsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story for young readers! Maybe for teenagers—it has a little too much death in during the tournament. But it didn’t go into too much detail obviously since it’s supposed to be a summarized version, but I appreciated that I still got the story in a shorter amount of time.😅

[KD · Rating 3 out of 5]

J'ai pensé que c'était intéressant mais il n'y avait pas beauvoup d'Ivanhoé et c'était vraiment simple. Le livre ne montre pas les évèments, mais il donne le lecteur un petit résumé de ce qu'il s'est passé au lieu de les écrire. Le combat finale a vraiment démontré ce problème.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The behavior of the villainous Prince John, his treacherous advisers, and his cruel supporters reminds me of present-day traitors. Fortunately, they’re no match for Ivanhoe, Robin Hood, Rebecca, the Black Knight, and the rest of the honest and honorable people.

[Joe Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love great illustrated classics and am a sucker for any knights tale. Would love to read the original!

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids really loved this one. It was perfectly adapted for their comprehension. Great illustrations.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

fun, but not great writing. not using for MS medieval class.

[McKinley Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid adaptation but with super abrupt chapter endings. Illustrations are 10/10. Owen didn’t react quite as much as he did to Narnia though, so only 4 stars.

[Robert Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

it is really simplified for younger readers. As a sixth grade teacher I may read this to my students so that they can experience the classic in an understandable way

[Yanni Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

That's a very quick and interesting read, fast paced, clear and plain language, in all honesty I like it a lot but it feels like there are more to the story and I am not satisfied yet. Maybe that's why it's a classic because it's like tell it like how it goes and not to entertain?

[Kerrie Hatcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good adaptation of the more complicated "adult" classic. Reading this Illustrated Classic can be a wonderful introduction for a young person who is interested in castles, knights, and heroes. There is just enough of a love story to hook the girls, but not enough to turn off the boys.

[Cws]

JAR5-Sco

[Kevin Findley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good adaptation of the original novel. Perfect for kids and bedtime stories.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. Surprising it was originally so popular.

[Martyna Mituzaitė · Rating 3 out of 5]

Klasika, paremta istoriniais faktais apie karą Anglijoje tarp saksų ir normanų, tačiau nebuvau itin sudominta.