Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!

 

 

Schlitz, Laura Amy. (2007). Good masters! Sweet ladies! Cambridge: Candlewick Press.

Good Masters!  Sweet Ladies! is a collection of poems from a medieval village.  We are introduced to Taggot, the blacksmith’s daughter, Simon, the knight’s son, and Mariot and Maud, the glassblower’s daughters, just to name a few.  As we learn about each character, the author give us insight into what life was like for different social classes, jobs and duties that young people encountered every day.  

Review:

Set in Medieval Times, we are introduced to quite a few of young characters through a set of twenty-two short poems. This collection of wonderful historical fiction provides a look into their daily lives back then. Each poem is voiced by a young adult with a diverse role in society.  The way the poems have a connection to one another helps with the flow of the reading, yet every poem also has an individualism in itself. Some of the terms used may be difficult to follow because we are not accustomed to using them today, but thanks to the footnotes and additional background information that accompany such terms we can get a better understanding not only of the terms but also into the customs and daily routines of the times. These poems help give the reader visualize life in this era. The reader can relate to the characters emotions. Although life back then for the villagers and life today for us are not very similar what we have in common is that acceptance and love is wanted by all no matter the time in history.