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Knights' Tales #1
The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great
Many years ago, the storytellers say, the great King Arthur brought justice to England with the help of his gallant Knights of the Round Table. Of these worthy knights, there was never one so fearless, so chivalrous, so honorable, so…shiny as the dashing Sir Lancelot, who was quite good at defending the helpless and protecting the weak, just as long as he’d had his afternoon nap. Behold the very exciting and very funny adventures of Lancelot the Great, as only acclaimed Arthurian author Gerald Morris can tell them.
96 pages, Paperback
First published May 5, 2008
50 people are currently reading
1137 people want to read
About the author
Gerald Morris
25 books495 followersGerald Morris is an award-winning author, best known for his retellings of Arthurian legends for preteen and teen readers.
His first series, The Squire's Tales, focuses primarily on a squire named Terence, alongside his knight, Sir Gawain. The ten-book series began with The Squire's Tale, first published in 1998.
His second series, The Knights' Tales, is for younger readers and began with The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great, published in 2008, followed by The Adventures of Sir Givret the Short in the same year.
Morris was born in Riverside, California in 1963, the son of Russell A. Morris. He was educated at the Oklahoma Baptist University and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He married Rebecca Hughes, has 3 children, and now lives in Wausau, Wisconsin. He also lived for a short time in Oklahoma. Apart from writing, Morris teaches theology and serves as a pastor for church.
His first series, The Squire's Tales, focuses primarily on a squire named Terence, alongside his knight, Sir Gawain. The ten-book series began with The Squire's Tale, first published in 1998.
His second series, The Knights' Tales, is for younger readers and began with The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great, published in 2008, followed by The Adventures of Sir Givret the Short in the same year.
Morris was born in Riverside, California in 1963, the son of Russell A. Morris. He was educated at the Oklahoma Baptist University and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He married Rebecca Hughes, has 3 children, and now lives in Wausau, Wisconsin. He also lived for a short time in Oklahoma. Apart from writing, Morris teaches theology and serves as a pastor for church.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
June 14, 2008
I wonder just how long Gerald Morris can continue to fly under the radar? By all rights the man should be as well-known and rich as Brian Jacques and the like. His Squire's Tales set in the world of King Arthur are funny, smart, and harbor just the right mix of authenticity and plumb good writing. They are, however, generally written for older kids. The tween to teen market, if you will. As a children's librarian, however, I notice that it's often younger kids that are asking for King Arthur stories. Kids that are reading on their own but still need books that are around 92 rather than 350 pages to sustain their interest. Kids, basically, who just want some early chapter books about Camelot and the Round Table. Up until now I was up a tree when this sort of request wafted my way. My children's room has picture books and long chapter books and not much in between for this particular brand of reader. Now that problem has been solved and it is entirely due to an author who could not have been a better choice for this subject matter. As the first in his Knights' Tales series, The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great takes its cues from classic legends and then renders them not only readable but hilarious.
Considered the greatest of King Arthur's knights, not many kids know that Lancelot was a prince in France before he was a legend. Having heard tales of King Arthur and his knights of Camelot, Lancelot wanted nothing more than to go and be accepted as a knight. After accidentally defeating all of Arthur's knights in a tournament, Lancelot is hailed as a great warrior... which of course gives every young upstart in the territory just the excuse they need to go and attack him. Morris examines some Lancelot stories where he must defend himself in odd situations alongside tales where is tricked, does the tricking, and always continues to hold onto his ideals. By the end of these stories (there are roughly five different ones of varying length) there is little doubt left in the reader's mind as to who was the greatest knight of all.
What I like about this book is that the author has been careful to insert fun and quirky ideas that rarely interfere with the book's overall story. For example, when Lancelot accidentally wins a tournament, it's paired with the fact that he's a bit vain and likes his armor to be extra shiny. So, as he shines his armor with one hand, he defeats a series of knights that keep attacking him with the other. A goofy twist, but one that is consistent with the Lancelot personality we've encountered in other formats and texts. In an odd twist of fate my husband ended up reading Le Morte D'Arthur at the same time that I was reading Morris' book. As a result, we started to compare notes. I'd say to him,
"There's a story in here of a lady who tricks Lancelot into taking up his armor and climbing a tree!"
He would answer, "It's in this book too!"
Then, "My book has a story where Lancelot stops a guy from killing his wife. Then the guy saying, `Hey, Lancelot, look over there!' And when he does then the guy chops off his wife's head. Is that in yours?"
I consulted my own book. "Nope."
Paired with Morris is a Mr. Aaron Renier, who has drawn accompanying pen-and-ink illustrations to go with this book. Some of you may recognize his style from his Top Shelf graphic novel Spiral-Bound. Like Morris, Renier is also from Wisconsin and this Arthurian series complements his particular style perfectly. For the goofiness of some of these tales you need an illustrator with comic book sensibilities. Renier has that in spades, but he never goes too goofy. Even on a picture where Lancelot has an arrow sticking out of his tuchis, the remainder of the scene is beautifully rendered. All tall grasses and bare trees. You get the distinct sense that Renier cares about his subject matter. All the kids will care about, though, is that he makes the book more fun to read.
And it really is fun. Clearly Morris had to do a little editing before he could make this book child-friendly. Some nips and tucks, if you will. Consider, for example, the ending. It contains the sentence, "...and that was how Sir Lancelot returned to Camelot, where he remained the rest of his life, faithfully defending the defenseless, even when it interfered with his afternoon naps." Ah. Well, I can't claim to know my Arthurian lore well enough to say that there isn't a version of Lancelot's story out there somewhere where he did stay on at Camelot "the rest of his life." I do know, though, that there are bound to be several kids out there who already know the whole Lancelot/Guinevere angle, get to the end of this book, and then complain vociferously when they find it completely and utterly missing.
Gaps exist in every library collection there is, often because publishers never got around to putting out titles to fill them. Now one such a gap can be corrected, and hopefully everyone who has ever had an eight-year-old Arthur fan on their hands will note and stock Morris' latest while it remains in print. I'll certainly be looking forward to other books in this series as they come out. Exciting high-adventure for the Captain Underpants set.
Ages 6-11.
Considered the greatest of King Arthur's knights, not many kids know that Lancelot was a prince in France before he was a legend. Having heard tales of King Arthur and his knights of Camelot, Lancelot wanted nothing more than to go and be accepted as a knight. After accidentally defeating all of Arthur's knights in a tournament, Lancelot is hailed as a great warrior... which of course gives every young upstart in the territory just the excuse they need to go and attack him. Morris examines some Lancelot stories where he must defend himself in odd situations alongside tales where is tricked, does the tricking, and always continues to hold onto his ideals. By the end of these stories (there are roughly five different ones of varying length) there is little doubt left in the reader's mind as to who was the greatest knight of all.
What I like about this book is that the author has been careful to insert fun and quirky ideas that rarely interfere with the book's overall story. For example, when Lancelot accidentally wins a tournament, it's paired with the fact that he's a bit vain and likes his armor to be extra shiny. So, as he shines his armor with one hand, he defeats a series of knights that keep attacking him with the other. A goofy twist, but one that is consistent with the Lancelot personality we've encountered in other formats and texts. In an odd twist of fate my husband ended up reading Le Morte D'Arthur at the same time that I was reading Morris' book. As a result, we started to compare notes. I'd say to him,
"There's a story in here of a lady who tricks Lancelot into taking up his armor and climbing a tree!"
He would answer, "It's in this book too!"
Then, "My book has a story where Lancelot stops a guy from killing his wife. Then the guy saying, `Hey, Lancelot, look over there!' And when he does then the guy chops off his wife's head. Is that in yours?"
I consulted my own book. "Nope."
Paired with Morris is a Mr. Aaron Renier, who has drawn accompanying pen-and-ink illustrations to go with this book. Some of you may recognize his style from his Top Shelf graphic novel Spiral-Bound. Like Morris, Renier is also from Wisconsin and this Arthurian series complements his particular style perfectly. For the goofiness of some of these tales you need an illustrator with comic book sensibilities. Renier has that in spades, but he never goes too goofy. Even on a picture where Lancelot has an arrow sticking out of his tuchis, the remainder of the scene is beautifully rendered. All tall grasses and bare trees. You get the distinct sense that Renier cares about his subject matter. All the kids will care about, though, is that he makes the book more fun to read.
And it really is fun. Clearly Morris had to do a little editing before he could make this book child-friendly. Some nips and tucks, if you will. Consider, for example, the ending. It contains the sentence, "...and that was how Sir Lancelot returned to Camelot, where he remained the rest of his life, faithfully defending the defenseless, even when it interfered with his afternoon naps." Ah. Well, I can't claim to know my Arthurian lore well enough to say that there isn't a version of Lancelot's story out there somewhere where he did stay on at Camelot "the rest of his life." I do know, though, that there are bound to be several kids out there who already know the whole Lancelot/Guinevere angle, get to the end of this book, and then complain vociferously when they find it completely and utterly missing.
Gaps exist in every library collection there is, often because publishers never got around to putting out titles to fill them. Now one such a gap can be corrected, and hopefully everyone who has ever had an eight-year-old Arthur fan on their hands will note and stock Morris' latest while it remains in print. I'll certainly be looking forward to other books in this series as they come out. Exciting high-adventure for the Captain Underpants set.
Ages 6-11.
May 15, 2019
So when I borrowed this-mainly for my little brother-I was really surprised to see that it was only 92 pages! A lot of them are pictures as well.
So for me, it was an extremely quick read, but funny and enjoyable. Very clean as well, intended for young audiences! It doesn't even mention the word "bum!" Instead it just says "the part of his body that he normally sat upon."
It was really good.
So for me, it was an extremely quick read, but funny and enjoyable. Very clean as well, intended for young audiences! It doesn't even mention the word "bum!" Instead it just says "the part of his body that he normally sat upon."
It was really good.
February 6, 2020
Silly, funny, and an overall great read aloud while studying medieval England.
April 29, 2012
Funny retelling of the King Arthur legend that is accessible to young readers.
October 27, 2019
This is a goofy chapter book, perfect for emerging readers. The humor is perfectly pitched for young boys and it is clean! The story broadly outlines of the famous characters from Camelot and I appreciate the fun way it incorporates important themes like loyalty, rule of law, chivalry, service, and humility.
Most of the chapters are short and include a couple of illustrations so this is a good choice for boys ready to try out chapter books, especially if a stronger reader is there to share the load.
My second grader has been asking about chapter books so he started reading aloud to me. He got tired about halfway through the first chapter, we switched and I read the next three chapters. He enjoyed them so much, he couldn’t wait for me to finish putting the baby to bed that evening and began reading Chapter Two aloud for his younger brothers (5 1/2 & 3 1/2). They were all laughing out loud when I found them. We read the whole thing together in two nights.
Most of the chapters are short and include a couple of illustrations so this is a good choice for boys ready to try out chapter books, especially if a stronger reader is there to share the load.
My second grader has been asking about chapter books so he started reading aloud to me. He got tired about halfway through the first chapter, we switched and I read the next three chapters. He enjoyed them so much, he couldn’t wait for me to finish putting the baby to bed that evening and began reading Chapter Two aloud for his younger brothers (5 1/2 & 3 1/2). They were all laughing out loud when I found them. We read the whole thing together in two nights.
February 9, 2018
Morris, Gerald and Aaron Reiner, Ill. The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great. 92 pp. Houghton Mifflin, 2008.
In this absolutely delightful first of his Knights' Tales series, Morris brings to a younger audience his love of the Arthurian legend. Light, humorous, and clever, the tale starts with Lancelot's desire to join Arthur's knights, who have "the bravest hearts, the noblest souls, and the shiniest armor in all the world." With his lance in his left hand - because he is cleaning the mud from his armor with a towel in his right - Lancelot accidentally becomes the best knight in the kingdom. From that point in rapid succession he goes from one adventure to another, from being imprisoned by female admirers to foiling a plot to get rid of Arthur's beloved queen.
You'll find very little darkness here, and Reiner's fanciful drawings aptly reflect the tone.
EL (3-6) - ESSENTIAL - Beverly Stout, Area Library Media Specialist.
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2008/...
In this absolutely delightful first of his Knights' Tales series, Morris brings to a younger audience his love of the Arthurian legend. Light, humorous, and clever, the tale starts with Lancelot's desire to join Arthur's knights, who have "the bravest hearts, the noblest souls, and the shiniest armor in all the world." With his lance in his left hand - because he is cleaning the mud from his armor with a towel in his right - Lancelot accidentally becomes the best knight in the kingdom. From that point in rapid succession he goes from one adventure to another, from being imprisoned by female admirers to foiling a plot to get rid of Arthur's beloved queen.
You'll find very little darkness here, and Reiner's fanciful drawings aptly reflect the tone.
EL (3-6) - ESSENTIAL - Beverly Stout, Area Library Media Specialist.
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2008/...
June 26, 2017
It was awesome and hilarious.
I oved how Sir Lancelot handled things, so cool and zen
I oved how Sir Lancelot handled things, so cool and zen
January 18, 2025
These are some of my favorite books!! 🥰
August 27, 2025
Absolutely hilarious and great for all ages.
December 15, 2012
"Camelot! Camelot! I know it sounds a bit bizarre!" I forgot the rest of the lyrics to this 1967 movie but I can hum the whole shebang for you if ya want just the tune. I'm sure if I Googled it, the rest would come flooding back with Richard Burton blasting the lyrics in his distinct baritone. I thought of that movie when I read this book, although "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" is probably closer to the book's premise. Or maybe not. Monty Python's adultish humor is not very kidish (wink, wink). What Monty Python and the book share in common is a very funny spoof on Arthurian Legends.
Lancelot leaves France on a quest to become a knight in King Arthur's court. Right away we discover that Lancelot is a hero of a different kind. Sure, he is handsome. Sure, he has superior athletic abilities. Sure, he can get out of any scrape. But when we first meet him he is anything but typical. He is vain and ditzy. The author has a fun play on words when Lancelot takes the phrase, "a knight in shining armor," literally and believes that the only way King Arthur will accept him as a knight is if his armor is shiny. A funny scene ensues where Lancelot defeats knights attacking him lefthanded and he is frustrated that they are getting his armor dirty. How can he meet the King Arthur without "shining armor." Unbeknownst to him the knights he defeated were in a tournament where the winner gets a place at the Knights of the Round Table. From the get-go we know this is a silly tale with twists on the original tale.
Lancelot goes through 5 adventures and I believe most refer to Sir Thomas Malory's "Le Morte d'Arthur" from the 1400's which I haven't read. The adventure I liked the most reminded me Alfred Tennyson's poem, "The Lady of Shalott", from the 1800's. Being familiar with the poem made the chapter all the more funnier. Tennyson's poem is about the Lady of Shalott who is under a curse in a tower where she can't look out the window on the town of Camelot. She sees Lancelot in her mirror with his sparkling armor, feathered plume hat, and gorgeous voice and she decides to go to the window knowing she will die from the curse. Part III of the poem begins, "A bow-shot from her bower-eaves,/He rode between the barley-sheaves." In this children's book, the author has The Lady of Shalott accidentally shoot Lancelot in the butt with a bow and arrow. The Lady of Shalott's mother is lady Elaine which refers to the Malory's Elaine of Astolat who is the same person as the Lady of Shalott; it's just that Tennyson changed the name. I'm sure I missed other references since I haven't read Malory but you can see the nonstop poke on the classic in this romp.
Lancelot gets shot by the Lady of Shalott because King Arthur asked him not to participate in his jousting tournament; Lancelot always wins and it takes the fun out of the competition. Lancelot complies and leaves town only to get shot by the Lady of Shalott when he decides to nap under a tree (he loves naps). Lancelot decides his injury is a great handicap and he can now enter the tournament because it will be hard to win. He straps a pillow to his seat and disguises himself so he can participate. Of course he does well inspite of his injury, but things become complicated when he wears the Lady of Shalott's scarf and people expect him to marry her as the winner. In an ironic twist the Lady of Shalott desires another man and doesn't want to marry Lancelot.
I like how the author presents Lancelot as a trickster and one who is tricked. He's vain and clueless in some spots and funny in others such as when he drops acorns on the Sir Phelot's helmet. And even though he appears to have everything anyone could want, he isn't happy. At the end, he has even lost some of his vanity. The play on words throughout are entertaining such as the "recreant" knights. While young readers aren't going to get the references (I taught the Lady of Shalott to 12th graders in English class) they will laugh at the situations. I am kind of curious to read Malory's work and then reread this book. The book is only about 100 pages and a fast fun read. Check it out!
Reading level 4.8
Fountas & Pinnell: R
Lancelot leaves France on a quest to become a knight in King Arthur's court. Right away we discover that Lancelot is a hero of a different kind. Sure, he is handsome. Sure, he has superior athletic abilities. Sure, he can get out of any scrape. But when we first meet him he is anything but typical. He is vain and ditzy. The author has a fun play on words when Lancelot takes the phrase, "a knight in shining armor," literally and believes that the only way King Arthur will accept him as a knight is if his armor is shiny. A funny scene ensues where Lancelot defeats knights attacking him lefthanded and he is frustrated that they are getting his armor dirty. How can he meet the King Arthur without "shining armor." Unbeknownst to him the knights he defeated were in a tournament where the winner gets a place at the Knights of the Round Table. From the get-go we know this is a silly tale with twists on the original tale.
Lancelot goes through 5 adventures and I believe most refer to Sir Thomas Malory's "Le Morte d'Arthur" from the 1400's which I haven't read. The adventure I liked the most reminded me Alfred Tennyson's poem, "The Lady of Shalott", from the 1800's. Being familiar with the poem made the chapter all the more funnier. Tennyson's poem is about the Lady of Shalott who is under a curse in a tower where she can't look out the window on the town of Camelot. She sees Lancelot in her mirror with his sparkling armor, feathered plume hat, and gorgeous voice and she decides to go to the window knowing she will die from the curse. Part III of the poem begins, "A bow-shot from her bower-eaves,/He rode between the barley-sheaves." In this children's book, the author has The Lady of Shalott accidentally shoot Lancelot in the butt with a bow and arrow. The Lady of Shalott's mother is lady Elaine which refers to the Malory's Elaine of Astolat who is the same person as the Lady of Shalott; it's just that Tennyson changed the name. I'm sure I missed other references since I haven't read Malory but you can see the nonstop poke on the classic in this romp.
Lancelot gets shot by the Lady of Shalott because King Arthur asked him not to participate in his jousting tournament; Lancelot always wins and it takes the fun out of the competition. Lancelot complies and leaves town only to get shot by the Lady of Shalott when he decides to nap under a tree (he loves naps). Lancelot decides his injury is a great handicap and he can now enter the tournament because it will be hard to win. He straps a pillow to his seat and disguises himself so he can participate. Of course he does well inspite of his injury, but things become complicated when he wears the Lady of Shalott's scarf and people expect him to marry her as the winner. In an ironic twist the Lady of Shalott desires another man and doesn't want to marry Lancelot.
I like how the author presents Lancelot as a trickster and one who is tricked. He's vain and clueless in some spots and funny in others such as when he drops acorns on the Sir Phelot's helmet. And even though he appears to have everything anyone could want, he isn't happy. At the end, he has even lost some of his vanity. The play on words throughout are entertaining such as the "recreant" knights. While young readers aren't going to get the references (I taught the Lady of Shalott to 12th graders in English class) they will laugh at the situations. I am kind of curious to read Malory's work and then reread this book. The book is only about 100 pages and a fast fun read. Check it out!
Reading level 4.8
Fountas & Pinnell: R
November 13, 2025
This is such a funny book, I really loved it. I read it once and then listened to it 2x because it's so good. I also asked for it for my birthday.
March 11, 2019
Probably one of the more fun and humorous read-a-louds we have done. We actually picked this one out as a book for my son to read on his own (it makes a really great early chapter book and is only 92 pages long) but my daughter asked me to read it to her so we read it as a read-a-loud. So glad we did if not for any other reason than I got to try out some fun British accents (ha!)
The book relates several tales of Sir Lancelot, the bravest knight in King Arthur's court. He likes his armor shiny and afternoon naps are essential. A very fun (have I mentioned that?) re-telling of Sir Lancelot for a younger set.
The book relates several tales of Sir Lancelot, the bravest knight in King Arthur's court. He likes his armor shiny and afternoon naps are essential. A very fun (have I mentioned that?) re-telling of Sir Lancelot for a younger set.
January 7, 2020
Definitely funny. Introduces kids to the idea of King Arthur's court, the round table and some of the names, but other than being the greatest champion of Camelot, the stories told are nothing to do with Lancelot du Lac. The Lady of Shallot has a happy ending. The knight who tries to bring Arthur down is Sir Mador instead of Modred. Lance saves Guinevere when she has been arrested for poisoning a knight, and they all live happily ever after. Uh... I would have been happier if the author had used different names. This can hardly even be said to be "based on" the stories of King Arthur.
November 22, 2023
This was a fun read for the kids, involving silly adventures with Sir Lancelot, and briefly featuring other well-known characters from the King Arthur stories. It's a quick read and fairly predictable for an adult, but my kids enjoyed it. There's very little detail or character development, so that's why I didn't enjoy it quite as much, but I would still recommend it.
December 17, 2015
Reading a chapter each night with my 7 year old. We have one chapter to go. The book is hilarious. There are a lot of challenging words, and she frequently interrupted to ask what a word meant which was a great sign she was listening and engaged.
May 25, 2015
We all enjoyed these light-hearted stories about Sir Lancelot. A quick, easy read we will definitely pick up again.
July 30, 2021
This one took a minute for my kids and I to get into, but we ended up enjoying it. We also are now very interested in this time period.
November 20, 2019
Prepare to meet Lancelot, the greatest (and shiniest) knight of them all!
Lancelot is a flawed, but very lovable character. He is vain, and his motivation for becoming a knight has more to do with fame and shiny armor rather than helping others. However, Lancelot is also brave, courageous, and always willing to rescue a damsel in distress. Unfortunately, being the greatest knight in Camelot comes with some serious drawbacks. Lancelot becomes disillusioned with being a knight and walks away from King Arthur and Camelot. However, about a year after Lancelot leaves, King Arthur finds himself in desperate need of his greatest knight. I’m pleased to say Lancelot is more than up to the challenge. In this moment, Lancelot realizes what it truly means to be a knight.
The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great is such an entertaining tale! Mr. Morris brings out themes of loyalty, chivalry, and helping others in a fun and easy way for children to understand. The book is filled with clean, goofy humor sure to bring on the giggles, but the humor is never overdone. I particularly enjoyed reading Lancelot’s encounter with a “recreant” knight named Sir Phelot. This story is perfect for reading aloud to younger children, and the short, fast paced chapters make it a good stepping stone toward longer chapter books for readers. The illustrations add to the fun as well. Mr. Morris does take some liberties with Lancelot’s story. For example, Lancelot’s affair with Guinevere is not mentioned. While this might upset some, I was not bothered. In fact, I feel this omission serves to make the tale more accessible to a younger audience.
I had so much fun reading The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great! I highly recommend this adventure to young fans of Arthur and his knights.
Lancelot is a flawed, but very lovable character. He is vain, and his motivation for becoming a knight has more to do with fame and shiny armor rather than helping others. However, Lancelot is also brave, courageous, and always willing to rescue a damsel in distress. Unfortunately, being the greatest knight in Camelot comes with some serious drawbacks. Lancelot becomes disillusioned with being a knight and walks away from King Arthur and Camelot. However, about a year after Lancelot leaves, King Arthur finds himself in desperate need of his greatest knight. I’m pleased to say Lancelot is more than up to the challenge. In this moment, Lancelot realizes what it truly means to be a knight.
The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great is such an entertaining tale! Mr. Morris brings out themes of loyalty, chivalry, and helping others in a fun and easy way for children to understand. The book is filled with clean, goofy humor sure to bring on the giggles, but the humor is never overdone. I particularly enjoyed reading Lancelot’s encounter with a “recreant” knight named Sir Phelot. This story is perfect for reading aloud to younger children, and the short, fast paced chapters make it a good stepping stone toward longer chapter books for readers. The illustrations add to the fun as well. Mr. Morris does take some liberties with Lancelot’s story. For example, Lancelot’s affair with Guinevere is not mentioned. While this might upset some, I was not bothered. In fact, I feel this omission serves to make the tale more accessible to a younger audience.
I had so much fun reading The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great! I highly recommend this adventure to young fans of Arthur and his knights.
June 2, 2017
The stories and humor of Gerald Morris's "Squire's Tale" series, which I love, and suitable for a younger audience.
Morris uses the following lines to introduce Sir Lancelot and what is important to him. "I must go to England to King Arthur ... for his knights are the greatest knights of all! ... They have the bravest hearts, the noblest souls, and the shiniest armor in all the world." (p. 2-3) The shiny armor part had me laughing on first introduction and continued to be hugely funny as the story unfolded.
Sir Lancelot is strong, brave, noble but also somewhat vain as he spends so much time worrying about how shiny his armor is. His armor continues to play a significant role, sometimes funny but sometimes not, throughout the story until something rather surprising happens at the end. I won't reveal the surprise (not sure if this happens outside of Gerald Morris's version of Sir Lancelot) but it is pretty neat and I really like Sir Lancelot by the end of the story. He and the reader definitely learn what it means to be 'Sir Lancelot the Great'.
Wonderfully funny story but yet some important lessons are learned along the way. I am impressed and definitely recommend this story for both young and old who enjoy the Arthurian legends with a twist.
Morris uses the following lines to introduce Sir Lancelot and what is important to him. "I must go to England to King Arthur ... for his knights are the greatest knights of all! ... They have the bravest hearts, the noblest souls, and the shiniest armor in all the world." (p. 2-3) The shiny armor part had me laughing on first introduction and continued to be hugely funny as the story unfolded.
Sir Lancelot is strong, brave, noble but also somewhat vain as he spends so much time worrying about how shiny his armor is. His armor continues to play a significant role, sometimes funny but sometimes not, throughout the story until something rather surprising happens at the end. I won't reveal the surprise (not sure if this happens outside of Gerald Morris's version of Sir Lancelot) but it is pretty neat and I really like Sir Lancelot by the end of the story. He and the reader definitely learn what it means to be 'Sir Lancelot the Great'.
Wonderfully funny story but yet some important lessons are learned along the way. I am impressed and definitely recommend this story for both young and old who enjoy the Arthurian legends with a twist.
March 10, 2024
In my reviews of Morris' other Arthurian series, The Squire Tales, I spend a lot of time complaining about his tendency to write some characters as annoying caricatures. Thankfully, this version of Lancelot gets to have goofy traits (including being a bit foppish) without it taking over his whole personality. We're also leaving out his more controversial stories, including the whole Guinevere affair, and generally keeping the tone light and silly. (Nobody dies, for one.)
As was usual in TST, each of the vignettes is based on a real Arthurian legend. Morris changes stuff, but it's like Disney's Hercules—you go in knowing this is a kid's humor book, so you roll the punches. Though I do question his decision to change two characters from siblings to lovers. (I get why—since Guinevere can't be jealous of Elaine, Elaine needs a love interest to be jealous of Lancelot. But still. Gross. Also, Mador is a villain here too? Geez.)
Anyway, I think its target audience—kids who know little about Arthurian legend—could enjoy this, and those of us who know the "real" stories can have fun seeing how Morris tweaks them. Looking forward to more.
As was usual in TST, each of the vignettes is based on a real Arthurian legend. Morris changes stuff, but it's like Disney's Hercules—you go in knowing this is a kid's humor book, so you roll the punches. Though I do question his decision to change two characters from siblings to lovers. (I get why—since Guinevere can't be jealous of Elaine, Elaine needs a love interest to be jealous of Lancelot. But still. Gross. Also, Mador is a villain here too? Geez.)
Anyway, I think its target audience—kids who know little about Arthurian legend—could enjoy this, and those of us who know the "real" stories can have fun seeing how Morris tweaks them. Looking forward to more.
August 6, 2018
Sir Lancelot wishes to become one of the knights serving King Arthur and spend his days defeating recreant knights, rescuing damsels in distress, and having the shiniest of shining armor. An illustrated collection of Lancelot's adventures, suited to lower middlegrade readers. Easily a favorite for the age range. Morris' wit and comedic timing kept me smiling throughout. I'll be adding the other books in the Knihgt's Tales collection to my home shelf.
June 4, 2025
Another hilarious story of King Arthur's knights in Morris' classic style. This is written for a younger audience than the Squire's Tale series, but still contains all the fun that makes that series so enjoyable. This would be the perfect intro to Camelot for younger kids who aren't quite ready for Squire's Tales. Content considerations: Lancelot is shot in the butt (never mentioned explicitly but is shown in a picture). 6+
January 21, 2018
This was a fun take on Sir Lancelot. My 5 year old enjoyed the humor, loved the knights and jousting and adventures the pace moved quickly and I hope that introducing her now to some of these character will help her dive into some richer literature as she gets older. We will read more in this series. Her only complaint was they needed “more fighting and less chit chat”
June 1, 2020
This is so clever and funny! The adventures have much softened conclusions as opposed to the original stories, and some of the changes are very humorously different, but still, it's a great introduction to King Arthur's knights. And even the Camelot faithful will immediately recognize the particular stories that are being referenced in each chapter.
June 15, 2020
Great chapter book for those ready to graduate to no pictures but might not have the stamina for >100 pages. My son stuck to graphic novels despite being an advanced reader. Turns out he has trouble keeping interested, and gets distracted easily. He tore through the series easily. Little 6 year old sister took an interest as well, but only when she had already finished her princess books.
June 1, 2018
My kids insisted I keep reading this one. It was all a bit silly as far as the stories went, but each story did seem to give talking points about knights, chivalry, fairness, and different traditions in the Middle Ages.
The boys ages 12 and 9 really enjoyed this one.
The boys ages 12 and 9 really enjoyed this one.
January 3, 2019
My son and I read this as a read aloud and thought it was absolutely hilarious. I really enjoyed the moral that was taught at the end of the book. It certainly made up for all of the goofy crusades Sir Lancelot went on throughout the book!
April 29, 2020
This was hilarious! I love how each chapter is its own self-contained story--that would make it a great read-aloud for families. Not only that but it's a retelling of a classic story, so the parents would enjoy that and the humor makes it fun to tell out loud.
September 20, 2021
We read this for a homeschool King Arthur unit. My 8 year old daughter loved it. She thought it was hilarious and read the whole thing in a day! I also enjoyed reading it. The illustrations add to the fun.
November 5, 2021
I absolutely loved this book! Defiantly the most funny and amusing book I have ever read!! The story plot was interesting, I did not want to stop reading it. Its defiantly for a younger audience, but is amusing for all readers of any ages!
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