Sir Thomas the Hesitant by Liam Perrin

Sir Thomas the Hesitant by Liam Perrin.  CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,  2013.  254 pages.  

Reading Level: Young Adults, ages 12 and up
Maturity Level: 4 (ages 11-12) and up

Thomas has a rather uneventful life, living in the shadow of his perfect big brother, William.  Aside from a nasty famine, life is relatively quiet in the village of Fogbottom.  But then William manages to get himself imprisoned by the local evil baron.  When news arrives that in honor of King Arthur’s impending wedding all subjects are welcome to petition the king, Thomas sets out for Camelot.

Thomas’s family thinks he will request his brother’s release, but Thomas has a different idea.  He dreams of becoming a knight and helping more people than just William.  After several interesting adventures, Thomas reaches Camelot. His dream becomes a reality, and Thomas joins the ranks of “Less Valued Knights” and begins to train and learn about knighthood.  As Thomas makes new friends in Camelot, he does not forget his brother, or his village.  He also realizes that the baron’s machinations extend beyond Fogbottom, and Camelot itself is threatened.  Yet what can Thomas and his friends do to help?

Told with an often humorous narrative, this tale provides readers with a fun and rather comic glimpse of Camelot.  There is little room for darkness, instead there is pomp and silliness.  Still, there are moments of seriousness as Thomas wrestles with the responsibility of being a knight and makes connections between serving the king and serving God.

The introduction introduces both Perrin’s humor as well as a reoccurring exchange found in the book:

I really don’t think this is a good idea,” says a person.

“Nonsense, you’ll be fine,” replies another.

People have been speaking those phrases at each other for as long as they have been speaking.  Neanderthal women encouraged their mates this way when they wanted them to taste-test a new brightly colored berry or when their Neanderthal family had outgrown their starter cave and needed to move into a swanky new cave presently occupied by a T-Rex or a big, nasty, pre-historic cave bear.

Readers both young and old on quest for a lighthearted story will enjoy the adventures, and misadventures, of Thomas along the path of knighthood.

Cautions: None

Overall Value: 4 (out of 5)

• Moral/worldview value: 5
• Artistic value: 4

Categories: Boys, Girls, Entertainment, Read-Aloud

Cover image from Amazon

A free copy of this book was received from the author for a fair review.