Book Review: The Squire and the Scroll
Rating: 
A book for boys by the author of The Princess and the Kiss, this one is set in a kingdom whose treasure is “The Lantern of Purest Light.” When the dragon steals the lantern, the king sends his knights one by one to seek it, but they never return. Finally he sends his last and bravest knight, along with a squire to assist him. This squire brings a precious scroll, from which he had been taught by his parents and which they gave him at his departure. The knight had also been taught from a scroll, but he had left its memory in his childhood.
On their quest they meet with temptations and traps, and for each they find a way to escape them — wool to stop their ears against discouraging voices, and a shield to guard their eyes against the allure of forbidden treasure. At each temptation the squire reads from his scroll for guidance, which he shares with the knight. In the cave of forbidden treasure, however, the knight refuses to listen to the scroll’s wisdom and is taken into the dragon’s power. The squire continues on alone, and by obeying the scroll’s instructions he avoids additional traps. When he arrives at the dragon’s lair, his scroll is transformed into a sword, with which he defeats the dragon and rescues the captured knights, finally retrieving the Lantern of Purest Light.
The book is a compelling parable about the importance of God’s Word, the Bible. It tells a story of a quest worth winning, a young man proving himself in the company of his elders, and dangers on every side that seek to destroy him. He holds on to courage and moral purity only by means of the scroll, to which he submits every decision, and by which he achieves victory against great odds. This is a powerfully winning story that will influence a boy’s imagination in the best possible way.
Categories: 3 Stars, 5 Stars, Age 04-08
Tags: Adventures, Bible, Christianity, Coming-of-Age, Courage, Dragons, Faithfulness, Good Against Evil, Greed, Honoring Authority, Honoring Parents, Humility, Integrity, Knights, Leadership, Loyalty, Moral Purity, Obedience, Parables, Parenting, Persistence, Pride, Princesses, Quests, Resolution, Scripture, Self-Control, Squires, Standing for Right, Strong Families, Temptation, Wisdom
Posted on May 26, 2009
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Since it is likely that [children] will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage.
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