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Son of Charlemagne
The year is 781 A.D. King Charles of the Franks is crossing the Alps with his family and court on a journey to meet with Pope Hadrian. One frosty night he speaks to his young son Carl of his plans for the "When we come to Rome you will know that I am naming you my heir. One day you will rule over all my lands..." But the King already had an heir, Pepin the Hunchback, mockingly called Gobbo. Was he to be dispossessed? Yet Carl sees that Charlemagne is determined to do what he feels is best to serve God and Europe. The many-faceted story of the great Emperor Charlemagne and his son Carl will stir the minds and imaginations of young people. Through Carl's eyes we discover the grand dimensions of western Europe's foundation.
208 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1997
77 people are currently reading
411 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Willard
99 books24 followersBarbara Mary Willard was a British novelist best known for children's historical fiction. Her "Mantlemass Chronicles" is a family saga set in 15th to 17th-century England. For one chronicle, The Iron Lily (1973), she won the annual Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, a book award judged by panel of British children's writers.
Willard was born in Brighton, Sussex on 12 March 1909, the daughter of the Shakespearean actor Edmund Willard and Mabel Theresa Tebbs. She was also the great-niece of Victorian-era actor Edward Smith Willard. The young Willard was educated at a convent school in Southampton.
Because of her family connections, Willard originally went on the stage as an actress and also worked as a playreader, but she was unsuccessful and abandoned acting in her early twenties. She wrote numerous books for adults before she turned to children's literature.
Very little about the author was written during her lifetime, because of her private nature. She died at a nursing home in Wivelsfield Green, East Sussex, on 18 February 1994.
The Grove of Green Holly (1967), which was a story about a group of 17th century travelling players who were hiding in a forest in Sussex from Oliver Cromwell's soldiers, spawned her most famous work, the Mantlemass series (1970–1981) including her Guardian Prize-winning book. Some other books were Hetty (1956), Storm from the West (1963), Three and One to Carry (1964), and Charity at Home (1965).
One of her last books, The Forest - Ashdown in East Sussex, published by Sweethaws Press in 1989, gives a detailed account of Ashdown Forest. In the introduction to the book, Christopher Milne notes that Willard had moved from her home on the Sussex Downs to the edge of Ashdown Forest in 1956 and that her new surroundings had provided the inspiration and setting for ten of her children's historical novels (eight in the Mantlemass series and two others). It is evident by her own account in her book that she actively involved herself in the affairs of the forest. She was a representative of the forest Commoners elected to the forest's Board of Conservators in 1975, and she remained in that capacity for ten years. She tells how she was later heavily involved in the fundraising campaign which enabled East Sussex County Council to purchase the forest in 1988, enabling it to remain as a place of beauty and tranquility open to the public.
Willard was born in Brighton, Sussex on 12 March 1909, the daughter of the Shakespearean actor Edmund Willard and Mabel Theresa Tebbs. She was also the great-niece of Victorian-era actor Edward Smith Willard. The young Willard was educated at a convent school in Southampton.
Because of her family connections, Willard originally went on the stage as an actress and also worked as a playreader, but she was unsuccessful and abandoned acting in her early twenties. She wrote numerous books for adults before she turned to children's literature.
Very little about the author was written during her lifetime, because of her private nature. She died at a nursing home in Wivelsfield Green, East Sussex, on 18 February 1994.
The Grove of Green Holly (1967), which was a story about a group of 17th century travelling players who were hiding in a forest in Sussex from Oliver Cromwell's soldiers, spawned her most famous work, the Mantlemass series (1970–1981) including her Guardian Prize-winning book. Some other books were Hetty (1956), Storm from the West (1963), Three and One to Carry (1964), and Charity at Home (1965).
One of her last books, The Forest - Ashdown in East Sussex, published by Sweethaws Press in 1989, gives a detailed account of Ashdown Forest. In the introduction to the book, Christopher Milne notes that Willard had moved from her home on the Sussex Downs to the edge of Ashdown Forest in 1956 and that her new surroundings had provided the inspiration and setting for ten of her children's historical novels (eight in the Mantlemass series and two others). It is evident by her own account in her book that she actively involved herself in the affairs of the forest. She was a representative of the forest Commoners elected to the forest's Board of Conservators in 1975, and she remained in that capacity for ten years. She tells how she was later heavily involved in the fundraising campaign which enabled East Sussex County Council to purchase the forest in 1988, enabling it to remain as a place of beauty and tranquility open to the public.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
January 23, 2019
I could hardly finish it.
This book has no plot but is a boring and lifeless retelling of the life of Charlemagne and one of his sons. But it fails to live up to other works of historical fiction.
I kept hoping for a plot, a climax, a twist of fate. But this is not the book for that. I skimmed the last three chapters, and am glad to finally get this off my list. I’d never recommend this for school or otherwise. It is not good literature.
This book has no plot but is a boring and lifeless retelling of the life of Charlemagne and one of his sons. But it fails to live up to other works of historical fiction.
I kept hoping for a plot, a climax, a twist of fate. But this is not the book for that. I skimmed the last three chapters, and am glad to finally get this off my list. I’d never recommend this for school or otherwise. It is not good literature.
July 29, 2017
Told from the point of view of Charlemagne’s son, Carl, Son of Charlemagne tells of King Charles of the Franks reign through being crowned Holy Roman Emporer. The story is engaging and drew me in. I recommend this book to kids learning about the Middle Ages.
May 25, 2017
A golden account of the reign of Charlemagne from the eyes of his son, Carl/Charles.
This book was read for school, and that, with the fact that this is set in an era formerly unread by myself, caused me to mentally yawn a bit at the beginning.
But then,....well, the real story got started. I was there! Sure, it took a bit to get into. The young characters are so mature and they "talk proper" and all that. All in all, I wouldn't wish to be a royal child; I can't take that much responsibility. And a lot of the time the Catholic Christian practices, though engaging, were plain weird; all that practically worshiping the pope was odd (Pease, take no offense if you are Catholic, but it is strange to moi.).
Although it doesn't cover everything, (I suggest looking Charlemagne and his family up in Wikipedia or such if you want to go into great detail) I highly recommend this book if you'd like to focus on the courts rather than the battles of this time.
In Son of Charlemagne, Willard masterfully paints a vivid representation of the sacrifices, the honors, and the bravery (not found exclusively on battlefields) it takes to be a king...and to be a king's son.
This book was read for school, and that, with the fact that this is set in an era formerly unread by myself, caused me to mentally yawn a bit at the beginning.
But then,....well, the real story got started. I was there! Sure, it took a bit to get into. The young characters are so mature and they "talk proper" and all that. All in all, I wouldn't wish to be a royal child; I can't take that much responsibility. And a lot of the time the Catholic Christian practices, though engaging, were plain weird; all that practically worshiping the pope was odd (Pease, take no offense if you are Catholic, but it is strange to moi.).
Although it doesn't cover everything, (I suggest looking Charlemagne and his family up in Wikipedia or such if you want to go into great detail) I highly recommend this book if you'd like to focus on the courts rather than the battles of this time.
In Son of Charlemagne, Willard masterfully paints a vivid representation of the sacrifices, the honors, and the bravery (not found exclusively on battlefields) it takes to be a king...and to be a king's son.
October 18, 2008
We enjoyed this story of Charlemagne told by viewing the life of one of his sons, Carl. While not intensely detailed in regards to his historical battles, though they are referenced (and one particularly brutal event is covered intensely), it gives more of an insider view with the focus on his family life. That was very interesting! This incredible world leader was a devoted family man who desired for his children to travel with him whenever possible. He humbly sought a better education for himself, his children and his subjects. This focus led to the Carolingian Renaissance. While Charles the Great certainly had flaws, those too were inspiring examples. These multifacted qualities resulted in his rise from King of the Franks to coronation as Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Son of Charlemagne was written very personally, a tender glimpse into the real life struggles of a political giant.
April 28, 2008
This was an awesome Historical Fiction especially for a Read-aloud
August 8, 2016
A good supplement to learning about Charlemagne.
September 23, 2024
This fall in our homeschool, my almost-13-year-old and I are studying the Middle Ages. I already had this title on my bookshelf but hadn't read it, so I decided to give it a try as a read aloud.
Son of Charlemagne tells the story of the life of Charles the Great from a visit Rome as King of the Franks in AD 781, to his coronation as Holy Roman Emperor in AD 800 - all from the perspective of his son Carl.
Much of the book revolves around life at Charles' court. His second wife dies, and he marries a third wife and eventually a fourth. There is court intrigue, alliances with neighboring tribes made and broken, betrothals made and sometimes broken, and eventually more responsibility for Carl, the son that Charles the Great has named as his heir.
But, much to the disappointment of my 7th grader, there are no detailed descriptions of battles fought by Charles or his trusted generals. there isn't really even a consistent storyline being followed, other than the passage of time, and the increasing realm and responsibilities of the king and his family.
I as an adult reader could enjoy this book for the sweep of history it covers and the interesting look at court life in the early middle ages. My 7th grader did NOT appreciate this book though and said he would only give it 1 star. 😅 He really wanted to hear about battles, not alliances and court intrigue. I think for the right reader, it could be an interesting addition to a Middle Ages reading list - but middle school boys might not be the right audience.
Content Considerations: Many deaths are mentioned, but nothing is described in a detailed way. Medieval Christian practices are described and mentioned throughout. Charlemagne's oldest son from his first marriage is mocked by many and eventually exiled. He has a hunched back and is made fun of for this trait, among other reasons.
Son of Charlemagne tells the story of the life of Charles the Great from a visit Rome as King of the Franks in AD 781, to his coronation as Holy Roman Emperor in AD 800 - all from the perspective of his son Carl.
Much of the book revolves around life at Charles' court. His second wife dies, and he marries a third wife and eventually a fourth. There is court intrigue, alliances with neighboring tribes made and broken, betrothals made and sometimes broken, and eventually more responsibility for Carl, the son that Charles the Great has named as his heir.
But, much to the disappointment of my 7th grader, there are no detailed descriptions of battles fought by Charles or his trusted generals. there isn't really even a consistent storyline being followed, other than the passage of time, and the increasing realm and responsibilities of the king and his family.
I as an adult reader could enjoy this book for the sweep of history it covers and the interesting look at court life in the early middle ages. My 7th grader did NOT appreciate this book though and said he would only give it 1 star. 😅 He really wanted to hear about battles, not alliances and court intrigue. I think for the right reader, it could be an interesting addition to a Middle Ages reading list - but middle school boys might not be the right audience.
Content Considerations: Many deaths are mentioned, but nothing is described in a detailed way. Medieval Christian practices are described and mentioned throughout. Charlemagne's oldest son from his first marriage is mocked by many and eventually exiled. He has a hunched back and is made fun of for this trait, among other reasons.
May 13, 2021
A piece of historical fiction for children (meant for kids a bit older than mine, 6 & 8) following Carl, a son of Charlemagne, who as a boy makes a crossing of the Alps with his father to visit the Pope (Hadrian) in Italy (during this visit, his brothers Lewis and Carloman are crowned as kids of Aquitaine and Lombary, and Carloman is re-baptized as Peppin, disinheriting their half-brother Peppin now known as Gobbo, the Hunchback; and Carl becomes Charlemagne's primary heir); it recounts the life of their family as Carl grows up (he is witness to the massacre of the Saxons at Verden, the various intrigues of the court, his half-brother Gobbo briefly tries to involve him in a plot against Charlemagne, etc.), and ends with another trip across the Alps, paralleling the one at the beginning of the book, to help the new Pope (Leo) and culminating in Charlemagne being crowned as Emperor of the Romans on Christmas day of 800 C.E.
October 27, 2022
For discussion with the kids:
Carl is the son of King Charles of the Franks, later styled Charlemagne. His mother is Hildegarde, his sisters Bertha and Rhotrud, brothers Lewis and (later renamed) Pepin. Older half brother called Gobbo because he’s a hunchback, so Charles tells Carl he will be king and Gobbo passed over.
Bertha marries tutor Anghilbert in secret, but no other sibling marries because Charles never finalizes an alliance. Carl wished to marry King Offa’s daughter. Hildegarde dies and Charles remarries unpleasant Fastrada and the people think she is why he is not as good a king. Eventually she dies and he marries again. Lewis and Pepin are sent off to be kings of their own regions as children. Gobbo foments rebellion and ends up a monk. Charles rescues Pope Leo and is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
Carl is the son of King Charles of the Franks, later styled Charlemagne. His mother is Hildegarde, his sisters Bertha and Rhotrud, brothers Lewis and (later renamed) Pepin. Older half brother called Gobbo because he’s a hunchback, so Charles tells Carl he will be king and Gobbo passed over.
Bertha marries tutor Anghilbert in secret, but no other sibling marries because Charles never finalizes an alliance. Carl wished to marry King Offa’s daughter. Hildegarde dies and Charles remarries unpleasant Fastrada and the people think she is why he is not as good a king. Eventually she dies and he marries again. Lewis and Pepin are sent off to be kings of their own regions as children. Gobbo foments rebellion and ends up a monk. Charles rescues Pope Leo and is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
January 12, 2020
History come alive!
Our five-year-old pulled this off the shelf last week to be our next read-aloud. My husband, eight-year-old, five-year-old and I were rapt as we followed the conquests, political, personal, and spiritual struggles of Charlemagne as seen from the perspective of his second son and heir.
This book did a wonderful job of presenting the very difficult aspects of statecraft and war without going into gory detail. The language was enough to support in depth discussion of ethics and spiritual and temporal consequences without being too graphic for our young children to hear.
I highly recommend this as a complement to any study of the Middle Ages and the origins of western political systems.
Our five-year-old pulled this off the shelf last week to be our next read-aloud. My husband, eight-year-old, five-year-old and I were rapt as we followed the conquests, political, personal, and spiritual struggles of Charlemagne as seen from the perspective of his second son and heir.
This book did a wonderful job of presenting the very difficult aspects of statecraft and war without going into gory detail. The language was enough to support in depth discussion of ethics and spiritual and temporal consequences without being too graphic for our young children to hear.
I highly recommend this as a complement to any study of the Middle Ages and the origins of western political systems.
November 14, 2023
I do not often give 5 stars but this was a phenomenal read aloud. Not only did it make history come to life and we could easily picture the events but it flowed so, so well as a read aloud. I enjoyed reading it out loud which is not always the case.
I enjoyed the strong family relationships it portrayed amongst siblings and father to child. It spanned 19 years but I always wanted to know what would happen next. I also liked that the end circled back to the beginning refreshing our mind as to how it started since we read it over the course of multiple weeks to complement our history unit on Ancient Rome and Christianity in the middle ages.
I enjoyed the strong family relationships it portrayed amongst siblings and father to child. It spanned 19 years but I always wanted to know what would happen next. I also liked that the end circled back to the beginning refreshing our mind as to how it started since we read it over the course of multiple weeks to complement our history unit on Ancient Rome and Christianity in the middle ages.
November 6, 2020
My kids and I took a month or two to slowly read this book aloud. We had so much fun with it! I'd recommend this book for anyone 12 and older who is interested in medieval times. Some of this book went over the heads of my 1st and 4th graders, but they understood enough to follow the gist of things. After we finished the book, my kids begged me to look the people up on the internet and tell them what happened to them and how much of the book was true. I was shocked to learn how closely this historical fiction book actually followed historical facts!
May 8, 2024
An interesting look at different facets of Charlemagne: father, soldier, Christian, king. It humanizes a distant figure in history and makes him someone you can care about. The family drama was very interesting but also really sad - 😢 Once again I find myself so thankful that I'm not royalty living back in those days. And the history is cool! I remember some of the events mentioned from studying medieval history last year.
(For the record, I can't abide Fastrada. Just sayin'.)
(For the record, I can't abide Fastrada. Just sayin'.)
November 6, 2025
Excellent historical fiction that I read aloud to my elementary kids (K,2,5). It was a companion read while studying the Middle Ages in history. My guess is the reading level would be 6-8th grade but the content would still be interesting for older students. This book follows the royal family of Charles the Great of the Franks (Charlemagne c800). As this is a novel, emotional considerations are projected to support the historical events and obstacles. I value its contribution to shaping perspectives on an era of history that has limited books written for students. 5 stars.
July 5, 2025
I was surprised at how good this was - she certainly takes artistic license, the kids are all out of order and we don’t know a lot about their closeness or other family dynamics, and of course the context and dialog around things but that’s par for the course with historical fiction. But it’s all plausible within what we do know. She does a great job of showing medieval cultural respectfully and interestingly! And it’s an interesting story with interesting characters! Well done!
October 28, 2017
This book takes a look into Medieval Times, specifically into Charlemagne's rein as King and eventually emperor. His triumphs, his sorrows, and his shortcomings are seen in this tale from the point of view of one of his sons, Carl. There are many characters so I sometimes had difficulty understanding who was who, but overall it was an educational and interesting tale.
October 1, 2019
Here is a living book, bringing breath to Charlemagne and his family. This is a wonderful read for anyone studying the Europe of Charlemagne. I spent so much time looking up the real lives of the historical figures on Wikipedia, and never was I disappointed by the book leading us astray from what really happened!
January 17, 2019
Another winner from Bethlehem Books! This book, although historical fiction, provides excellent coverage of this political giant. All ages will enjoy this fine book! Candace read 9/08 -- excellent
October 1, 2019
Homeschool read aloud with the children. It gave us the history in story form, but a bit difficult to keep up with at times.
October 7, 2019
This isn’t a book I was excited to pick up from day to day, but it made a valuable enough read-aloud for our study of medieval history.
December 23, 2019
Surprisingly good. I was expecting it to be dry, it wasn't. There was a warmth and familiarity about the characters.
September 30, 2020
Historical read about a time period I know little about-Ancient Rome. The story dragged however and wasn’t the most interesting or exciting. Read aloud to my children.
Read
October 18, 2020Well-reviewed by my 10-year-old, who read it for his history class.
October 26, 2020
I had to read this for a school project. I was so bored. I kept falling asleep and could not finish. If you are interested in history, read it. If not, forget it.
November 2, 2020
It was alright. The ending was NOT as great as I expected it to be.
January 19, 2021
i read this book in seventh grade it was a good book
April 9, 2021
I loved how this sweeping tale covered years of history, and I loved the positive Catholic themes and references. I didn’t get super emotionally invested, but as a Catholic I love this book!
September 1, 2021
I never expected to like this boom so much!!!
abandoned
January 21, 2022My daughter and I gave this a shot, we really did. If there's a story in there, we failed to get to it.
Read
April 22, 2022read aloud with L&C. not our favorite story from this time period 😴
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews