Medallion

Gadallan Trilogy #2

by Dawn L. Watkins, Dana Thompson (Illustrator)

Librarian's note: Alternate cover edition of ISBN 0890842825. See other editions with this ISBN here and here.

In Medallion, a Christian fantasy fiction novel, Dawn L. Watkins presents a willful prince who must learn the hard way that being a leader means being first a servant. Prince Trave encounters many dangers—such as an earthquake, monstrous skreels, and treachery from those he thought were his friends—before he faces the biggest challenge of all. Once he learns the real duties of a king, he must prove he is indeed worthy to rule his country.

Genres: Fantasy, Christian, Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, Christian Fiction, Adventure

213 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1985

Reviews

[Abby Burrus · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know those books you remember with distinct fondness?
This is one of those for me.
To be honest, I wasn't even sure it was Christian fantasy until I read it in the description. And this one of the very few fantasy books I've read without knowing whether it was Christian fantasy or not.
I'm not sure when I first read it, I was quite young. But I remember it with fondness. It was written for children, you can tell, but even today I can still enjoy it. The innocence, the trope of wise-old-man-who-has-wisdom-and-awesome-fighting-skills (which I absolutely adore), and at the same time, the learning of what it costs to be a leader all combine to make a wonderful book.
I definitely recommend this if you're a parent looking for a clean, morally-upright fantasy book for your child, and especially if you don't want it to have magic. As far as I can remember, this book has none of that.

[Alexandra Elend Wolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this in fourth grade, like a lot of kids raised in private schools that used BJU Press curriculum. I remembered it as a rousing adventure. My teacher even had the author, Dawn Watkins, visit class once, and years later I took Poetry Writing from her as one of my minor electives. Fast forward another twelve years and my wife—who had a copy in storage—and I decided to revisit this as our bedtime reading. We had just finished The Silver Chair and wanted to read another fantasy, one we both remembered fondly but hadn't touched in over two decades.

Happy to say it held up. Medallion is a fun adventure story that also works—as is apparent to us now—as an accessible introduction to fantasy for students. It's well put together and set in an interesting and believable fantasy world that feels real but is easy to comprehend. There's enough action and drama to keep a young reader turning pages. Furthermore, the characters are worth spending time with, and I realize now that it offers young readers a good primer on effective and upright leadership without being preachy. Lots of good stuff here.

Recommended.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this middle-grade Christian novel about a young, forsaken prince and a kind king who comes by his side and mentors him so he can try to help develop the right skills and sense of compassion to become ruler. There is also the mystery of the medallion. I have not read the rest of the series, but was able to follow this one just fine.

[Tayler Marie Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great fantasy read! There are lessons to learn and obstacles to overcome. Not to mention the major battle scene at the end! I've read it a few times before and still enjoy it.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read this in elementary school, and while it's definitely YA, I decided that I needed a copy.

[Peter Martuneac · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in the fourth grade and I remember really like it. I might have to get a copy of it again for my own kids!

[Brenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know why I gave this 4 star before. It’s one of my favourites!

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a fun story line with a good lesson built in about leadership and humility. Students love reading this book because of the action and adventure. However, the prose is not particularly exceptional. I could tell that the author was being very intentional about the vocabulary being accessible for children, but in the process it felt a little stilted. It is a fun read for kids, but not an exceptional book.

[Jonathan Carmona · Rating 5 out of 5]

This awesome gem of a fantasy book is a solid and engaging read. It provides one of those coming of age and spoiled brat learns to be better type stories that i enjoy. I have re read this book several times; that's how good it is. It makes excellent use of a number of fantasy tropes in superb ways in my opinion. Woudl make an excellent film one day!

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book when I was a kid and now I enjoyed reading it to my kids. It has great adventure, danger, and lessons for a kid. It also has similar themes to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe which my kids enjoyed finding the similarities.

[Ashton Harat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been a favorite of mine since I was six or seven. A wonderful piece of epic fantasy with great lessons to be learned about truth and character. Though written by a Christian, it could be enjoyed by any lover of fantasy. Highly recommended!

[Robert Sieg · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not the book I remember.
It clearly was the book I read as a kid, but in my mind it was so much better.

[Melissa Keller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I children’s book that really doesn’t step outside that framework. Fine to read with kids but not one you would read as an adult.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, so good! I'm sure we'll read this again.

[Karyn Van Zee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fanciful youth good for 4th grade themes about truth

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Trave's story, his growth from boy to king. I appreciated reading Shield prior to it to understand Gris and Enna. A good story of humility and a ruler who serves the people.

[Lydia Therese · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Medallion by Dawn L. Watkins was written first but takes place after Shield by Dawn L. Watkins.

Although a little below my reading level, I read Medallion anyway because I had to for school. When I was younger I enjoyed JourneyForth's books and I think if I was maybe 10 when I read this I would have enjoyed it much more. However, the book as still interesting and I liked it.

This book is the story of a prince who wants to become king, instead of his uncle, Panii. He learns from another old, wise king of another land that he can become one by obtaining a special medallion, which was once owned by his father. He sets out on a journey for it. (That's the basic plot.)

Not extremely creative, but I think the little twists - like Trave (the prince) not having to travel alone and actually being quite foolish and dependent throughout the whole book made it more unique than the typical fantasy-adventure-plotline-thing. :P

I also thought the creatures and characters were quite unique as well. It wasn't just the typical unicorns and dryads and such.

For an elementary-school book it was good and enjoyable. 4 stars out of 5. :)

[Beth Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's always dangerous re-reading a book oh moved as a child. So many times they don't live up to those memories of being transported elsewhere because of glaring plot holes or simply poor writing. I was thrilled that this book stood the test of time. Not only was it well written, but it was beautiful to read aloud. It told a story of bravery and folly, of mistakes and forgiveness, powerfully ending on many changed lives, some for the better and some for the worse. In the style of Howard Pyle, and I'm so glad my kids were so enthralled.

[Violet W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must say that this was a bit of a disappointment to me. I had read "Shield" (otherwise know as "Ride to Honor") before, and it proved to me that there ARE perfect stories. So I shouldn't be surprised that this didn't measure up. . . but c'mon, they shoulda gotten married!

[Bonnijean Marley]

Great adventure book.

[Gabrielle Link · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was a re-read for me and I still love it!

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this in 4th grade and really liking it.

[Lobug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read-aloud book! We all enjoyed it.

[Johannes Kristian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book because it has fiction creatures such as grelds. I also noticed that Gris was wearing mostly gray and black and in a different language, gris means gray.

[Kyle Loomis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool with a lot of action!

[E. Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book, fast paced and sometimes hard to follow, but with good characters. Trave's character arc was a little rushed but it's a short book. Well written.