Spindle and Dagger
By J. Anderson Coats
Hi! Have you ever missed home? When I go to camp, I always miss my parents! Well, Elen misses her family more than ever. Her family was attacked by a war band and she was the only one left alive. Now, she serves their leader, Owain ap Cadwgan, and is tricking him into believing that she is a saint. Her whole life is a lie. How long can she keep it up?
Elen goes on many journeys with Owain. They all seem to blend together. However, one stands out from all the rest. Owain’s rival is a man named Gerald of Windsor. He’s been trying to get at him for years. Finally, he finds a way – he goes and kidnaps his wife and children. In these times, captives are usually treated like a normal member of the family. However, to humiliate Gerald, Owain treats them extremely poorly. Elen has been looking for a way to escape, and finally an opportunity arises. However, there are twists and turns along the way as Elen tries to make her way, finally, to freedom.
I wish that Nest hadn’t tricked Elen when she said that she was sick. In the book, while Nest is trying to figure out how to escape, she tricks everyone into thinking she was sick so she has time to work out the details. I wish that she had let the readers and Elen in on the secret. (It always makes me feel good when I know something that the characters in the story don’t!)
One of my favorite parts was when Elen finally told Nest that she was going to escape with her. It took some convincing from Nest, but eventually she made up her mind.
I know that there are books that exist that are similar to Spindle and Dagger, but I have never read them. One book that may be like this that I’ve heard about is Robin Hood. If you like stories set around the time of the Vikings and lots of adventure, then you will love this book!
Will Elen be able to escape the evil Owain ap Cadwgan, or will she always remain a “saint” until her lie is discovered? As I always say, read the book to find out!
A few helpful things I like to say about the books I read:
“Run and Get Mom” (how I describe the scariness factor – zero being not scary at all and five being majorly scary): 3
“Yucky-Lovey Stuff” (how I describe the romance factor – zero having no yucky-lovey parts in it and five having major yucky-lovey parts): 3
I give this book 5 wands.
This book was awesome! In this book, Elen stands up for herself and risks her life for the freedom of herself and others. Her bravery inspires me and I hope that it inspires you, too!
