The Striped Ships

I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN EVEN THOUGH IT IS AIMED AT OLDER CHILDREN. THE DESCRIPTIONS OF SAXON LIFE AFTER THE CONQUEST WERE BETTER THAN ANY MOVIE & THE INFORMATION ON THE BAYEAU TAPESTRY WAS FASCINATING. I READ ANOTHER BOOK AS A CHILD ON THIS SUBJECT BUT DON'T REMEMBER THE TITLE. I THOUGHT I KNEW A LOT ABOUT THE NORMAN CONQUEST BUT YOU CAN ALWAYS LEARN MORE!AND I AM GLAD THE TAPESTRY WAS NOT LOST AS IT WAS A HANDMADE ILLUSTRATION OF A MAJOR HISTORICAL EVENT!

Although Eloise McGraw won a Newbery Honor Book Award for "The Golden Goblet," this work is as good or better. Juliana's life is vividly portrayed, from her privileged "Thane's daughter" upbringing at the beginning of the book, to becoming a Norman slave grubbing for every crumb, to her travels to Canterbury and ultimately becoming a part of the creation of an (actually existing) tapestry. McGraw captures the historical feel of the times, with rich detail that you can picture in your mind's eye, but not so much detail as to get bogged down. It was refreshing to see a strong female character (especially considering this was written and published in the 1950s) who can take care of herself--and her younger brother--without succumbing to the "oldest sister too good to be true" syndrome. Her older brother's character is particularly interesting--is he good? Or are his actions as a Saxon "terrorist" just as "evil" as the Norman conquerors? Those who like sappy endings with all the loose ends tied might be be a bit discomforted by the end--Juliana is never truly reconciled with her ultimate place in life--but I think the mixed feelings she experiences are true-to-life. As an added bonus, you'll absorb some interesting Saxon/Norman history!

I loved this book! The characters where well defined and I thought it gave a great image of the horror that Saxons experienced during the Norman Conquest. The story was believeable and the discription in it was incredible! Juliana's escape from Hastings and the Eloise McGraw described way living in Canterbury was amazing. However, if you didn't like this book I can understand if you thought that Juliana's life would still be undecided once she finished the Bayuex Tapestry. But istill think this is one of the best books i have ever read.

This is a children's book, but I'm 25 and I still enjoyed it. I wish that there had been a little bit more about King Harold and Duke William, but the story is still a gripping one, set in that all-important year of 1066.

I read this 229 page novel for my Honors 9 Geography 5 themes project. This book is based on a 1066 period of time that happened in various places around England. The Normans took over parts of England and destroyed a lot of the people's lives and really effected their economy. One brave, strong girl by the name of Juliana travels from heart-braking place to another in search of something her heart desisres. She finds out what it is in the end while going through loss of family, hard work, devistating sights, and adventures you won't forget. I like how the author uses very good literary devices to get you "involved" with the book. There were nights where I just didn't want to put the book down because it was really exciting. One thing I thought was difficult about this book was, the word choices McGraw chose. A lot of the words were advanced so I would not reccomend this book for a real young person. I am in grade 9 and had somewhat hard time understanding it at times. But what was really helpful was McGraw put a glossary in the back of the book which helped A LOT. I had never known that such a devistating thing took place over in England and by reading this book it helped me understand the hardness that the people went through. There were a few parts that were a little grusome, but not too bad for a book that deals with war. I would strongly reccomend this book to people who are interested in the history of England, or just want a good novel to sit and cuddle up with. But if you read this book you need to understand that it is not just a relaxation book; it is about an awful war that took place.