Make-Up Post: A Book I Should Have Read When I Was Younger

Jun 20, 2018 -

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Make-Up Post: A Book I Should Have Read When I Was Younger

I’m sure my devoted readers (!) will notice the conspicuous absence of an Amazon link below this book review. I decided to forgo it this time because Eloise Lownsbery’s Out of the Flame–a Newbery Honor book from 1932–is not just out of print, it’s OUT OF PRINT. As in, I had to put the complete title plus author’s last name into Amazon to find it, and copies started at $249. (No, I did not forget a decimal.) I sort of assumed that you’d all pass on that.

Anyway. Out of the Flame is an exuberant, idealistic tale of a fictional French boy living as a ward of a real French king and growing up with his real children. It’s fast-paced with a slightly episodic feel and a level of flowery language fitting for the time; it’s also an interesting look at progress and personal honor. Pierre wants more than anything to be a knight in the service of his king. He also loves to study and learn, however, and one of the princes he is essentially growing up with brands him a heretic for that. His personal relationships begin to cloud his certainty about his future, and ultimately he must re-evaluate his aspirations.

Or, to put it another way, Out of the Flame is a tale of knights, pages, squires, princes, gypsies, heretics, kings, and pirates. It’s accessible and full of adventure, if old-fashioned in style. I would have thoroughly enjoyed it as a kid, back when I had all the time in the world to read; as an adult, I must admit that medieval tales are less my thing, and I would not have picked this one up if it hadn’t been a Newbery. On the other hand, I don’t regret having read it. If you’ve got a middle-grader who enjoys medieval adventure and is okay with the language and style of a book written in 1931, it’s totally worth checking out of your library.

I just wouldn’t spent $249 for it.