Reviews

Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray, Elizabeth Gray Vining

ejpreads's review against another edition

4.0

This is a good curl up in bed book or a "read on a rainy day" book. I think one of the reasons I like this book so much is the main character sometimes reminds me of me emotionally. This is a nice book that shows how dangerous the medieval world was when traveling, especially for people traveling all the time like minstrels!

roseleaf24's review against another edition

Medal Winner 1943

chitownbookworm's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

s_melly's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

4.25

Newbery medal winner! Historical adventure. 

eriynali's review against another edition

3.0

Meticulously researched for sure. The story just left me wanting more depth the whole time. a little too much... and then this happened and then this and then this...

julia1627's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

kylauren1723's review against another edition

3.0

“The road is the home of a minstrel” eleven-year-old Adam’s father, Roger the minstrel, teaches him. It certainly is in this book. Although the plot is slow going at times, the plausible adventures of a young minstrel are enjoyable with a certain fairytale-ish quality. You feel for him when he loses his dog and his father but are caught up in the adventure and independence of Adam as he searches - forming relationships along the way. Although Adam sports qualities that may not be commendable and occasionally irksome, you find yourself hoping it all works out for him

corky12's review against another edition

adventurous informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

sqeeker's review against another edition

2.0

- I started reading Newbery books again! Yay me! I was in the middle of this one when my brother died, so I wasn't sure if I was going to pick it up again, but I did, and I finished.

- This was a little more enjoyable that previous Newbery books. I liked that characters a lot, and I thought the story was good.

- The writing was a little boring, and there were a lot of slow parts in the story.

- I really liked Adam and his determination to be a good minstrel. I liked his journey and the people he met along the way.

- Roger was a little weird.

- I'm a sucker for books with dogs, and I loved Nick.

- I probably wouldn't read this again, but it was alright.

ehays84's review against another edition

4.0

A classic that I also read back in 3rd grade. All I really remembered was the excellent feel of the book, which makes sense now because that is the main takeaway. The plot is take it or leave it, and there are several characters who you would have liked the author to develop more, thus why it gets 4 stars. But for its portrayal of Medieval England it gets a high rank. For example, she works in details such as there was only one coin minted in England at the time, how it was fashionable to swear by one's saint at that time, to portray the mixture of dialects and languages present in England at the time, etc. Now, I am no Medievalist, but it seems to be that Gray does an admirable job, especially given that she was a librarian for her day job I believe. I really love entering the world of this book, and I would highly recommend it to anyone else.

Because this one ends just before 1300, I think it is a good jumping off point to read Chaucer again (in translation, I am not that crazy).