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Reading it ahead of my children. It wasn't bad.
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Augustine Came to Kent
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It is the year 597 and Pope Gregory is sending a select number of his monks, led by Fr. Augustine, to re-evangelize England. Young Wolf, born in that land but raised in Rome, accompanies his father, Wolfstan, who goes as a guide and interpreter. Though the King of Kent's wife is a Christian, the missionaries from Rome do not know whether they will be welcomed, tolerated or martyred. In a story full of adventure, Wolf meets Fritha, a Saxon girl whose life and destiny are soon closely bound up with his own. Events, significant in the history of Christianity, are vividly brought to life by this veteran writer of historical fiction.
Britain, 597 A.D.
RL5
Of read-aloud interest ages 9-up
Britain, 597 A.D.
RL5
Of read-aloud interest ages 9-up
179 pages, Paperback
First published January 1,1963
This edition
- Format
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179 pages, Paperback
- Published
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October 28, 1996 by Bethlehem Books (Living History Library)
- ISBN
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9781883937218
- ASIN
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1883937213
- Language
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English
About the author
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Barbara Mary Willard was a British novelist best known for children's historical fiction. Her "Mantlemass Chronicles" is a family saga set in 15th to 17th-century England. For one chronicle, The Iron Lily (1973), she won the annual Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, a book award judged by panel of British children's writers.
Willard was born in Brighton, Sussex on 12 March 1909, the daughter of the Shakespearean actor Edmund Willard and Mabel Theresa Tebbs. She was also the great-niece of Victorian-era actor Edward Smith Willard. The young Willard was educated at a convent school in Southampton.
Because of her family connections, Willard originally went on the stage as an actress and also worked as a playreader, but she was unsuccessful and abandoned acting in her early twenties. She wrote numerous books for adults before she turned to children's literature.
Very little about the author was written during her lifetime, because of her private nature. She died at a nursing home in Wivelsfield Green, East Sussex, on 18 February 1994.
The Grove of Green Holly (1967), which was a story about a group of 17th century travelling players who were hiding in a forest in Sussex from Oliver Cromwell's soldiers, spawned her most famous work, the Mantlemass series (1970–1981) including her Guardian Prize-winning book. Some other books were Hetty (1956), Storm from the West (1963), Three and One to Carry (1964), and Charity at Home (1965).
One of her last books, The Forest - Ashdown in East Sussex, published by Sweethaws Press in 1989, gives a detailed account of Ashdown Forest. In the introduction to the book, Christopher Milne notes that Willard had moved from her home on the Sussex Downs to the edge of Ashdown Forest in 1956 and that her new surroundings had provided the inspiration and setting for ten of her children's historical novels (eight in the Mantlemass series and two others). It is evident by her own account in her book that she actively involved herself in the affairs of the forest. She was a representative of the forest Commoners elected to the forest's Board of Conservators in 1975, and she remained in that capacity for ten years. She tells how she was later heavily involved in the fundraising campaign which enabled East Sussex County Council to purchase the forest in 1988, enabling it to remain as a place of beauty and tranquility open to the public.
Willard was born in Brighton, Sussex on 12 March 1909, the daughter of the Shakespearean actor Edmund Willard and Mabel Theresa Tebbs. She was also the great-niece of Victorian-era actor Edward Smith Willard. The young Willard was educated at a convent school in Southampton.
Because of her family connections, Willard originally went on the stage as an actress and also worked as a playreader, but she was unsuccessful and abandoned acting in her early twenties. She wrote numerous books for adults before she turned to children's literature.
Very little about the author was written during her lifetime, because of her private nature. She died at a nursing home in Wivelsfield Green, East Sussex, on 18 February 1994.
The Grove of Green Holly (1967), which was a story about a group of 17th century travelling players who were hiding in a forest in Sussex from Oliver Cromwell's soldiers, spawned her most famous work, the Mantlemass series (1970–1981) including her Guardian Prize-winning book. Some other books were Hetty (1956), Storm from the West (1963), Three and One to Carry (1964), and Charity at Home (1965).
One of her last books, The Forest - Ashdown in East Sussex, published by Sweethaws Press in 1989, gives a detailed account of Ashdown Forest. In the introduction to the book, Christopher Milne notes that Willard had moved from her home on the Sussex Downs to the edge of Ashdown Forest in 1956 and that her new surroundings had provided the inspiration and setting for ten of her children's historical novels (eight in the Mantlemass series and two others). It is evident by her own account in her book that she actively involved herself in the affairs of the forest. She was a representative of the forest Commoners elected to the forest's Board of Conservators in 1975, and she remained in that capacity for ten years. She tells how she was later heavily involved in the fundraising campaign which enabled East Sussex County Council to purchase the forest in 1988, enabling it to remain as a place of beauty and tranquility open to the public.
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Community Reviews
Rating(4.2 / 5.0, 49 votes)
5 stars
22(45%)
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17(35%)
3 stars
10(20%)
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49 reviews All reviews
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I was sorry to see so many bad reviews of this book - it's really a lovely story of the re-Christianizing of England after the reign of the Romans has long since been over (c. 597).
Wolf, an English boy born and bred, travels with his father from their home in Rome, Italy along with a convoy of monks and the great Prior Augustine to spread the good news of salvation to Wolf's own long-begotten homeland (where his family were taken from as captives years ago).. New adventures await him and his father - new dangers; and new friends to make. A sweet childhood friendship blooms into love; forgiveness and a new way of life are found. Such a good story of the time period, and I did not find it dull or boring - just simple and pleasant.
This would make a nice supplement for using in school, but there is enough information within the book that if you know nothing of this era it won't deter away from enjoying the story. :)
Wolf, an English boy born and bred, travels with his father from their home in Rome, Italy along with a convoy of monks and the great Prior Augustine to spread the good news of salvation to Wolf's own long-begotten homeland (where his family were taken from as captives years ago).. New adventures await him and his father - new dangers; and new friends to make. A sweet childhood friendship blooms into love; forgiveness and a new way of life are found. Such a good story of the time period, and I did not find it dull or boring - just simple and pleasant.
This would make a nice supplement for using in school, but there is enough information within the book that if you know nothing of this era it won't deter away from enjoying the story. :)
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Set at the time Pope Gregory I sent Augustine to England, Augustine Came to Kent is the story of the first Archbishop of Canterbury through the eyes of a boy. It tells of Augustine preaching, baptizing King Ethelbert, and on through the end of Augustine’s life. It’s a gentle story with excellent pacing. I recommend it for kids studying medieval England.
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Wolf, a young boy raised in Rome, accompanies his father back to their homeland of Britain along with Fr. Augustine in order to re-evangalize Britain. We follow the work of these early missionaries in the 4th Century A.D. and look at how St. Augustine influenced the growth of the Christian church.
While the audience of this book is middle grade readers, the language is very sophisticated at times, and more reluctant readers may have a harder time reading this story on their own.
I do think it's a worthwhile read, though, especially if you are learning about the early Middle Ages and how the pagan beliefs of the Saxons gradually became mostly replaced by Christianity due in large part through the efforts of Pope Gregory, Abbot/Archbishop of Canterbury Augustine and the baptism and conversion of the Saxon King Ethelbert.
While the audience of this book is middle grade readers, the language is very sophisticated at times, and more reluctant readers may have a harder time reading this story on their own.
I do think it's a worthwhile read, though, especially if you are learning about the early Middle Ages and how the pagan beliefs of the Saxons gradually became mostly replaced by Christianity due in large part through the efforts of Pope Gregory, Abbot/Archbishop of Canterbury Augustine and the baptism and conversion of the Saxon King Ethelbert.
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I would never have picked up this book on my own accord as I am generally not a fan of books set in the Middle Ages (...not to mention the bland cover art). It was an assigned text for my 4th grade daughter's literature class.
Certainly not exciting, the book hovers close to "boring." That being said, it does offer a somewhat historical look into the lives of monks, missionaries, and ordinary lay people in the 500s (AD).
RE-READ September 2021: Same as above, however I appreciated it more this time so I am bumping it up to three stars.
Certainly not exciting, the book hovers close to "boring." That being said, it does offer a somewhat historical look into the lives of monks, missionaries, and ordinary lay people in the 500s (AD).
RE-READ September 2021: Same as above, however I appreciated it more this time so I am bumping it up to three stars.
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I loved this book so much I bought it after the first reading and read it again. Well-done historical fiction of Augustine's establishment of Canterbury. Well-written and not written down to children, which might be the reason so many found it "boring." It does require some education to understand it--a beautiful story, but there are some tough subjects (people die frequently in the Middle Ages) which makes it more a more typical read for teens than most younger ones. I read it aloud to my 9 and 12-year old and they both enjoyed it.
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the whole family enjoyed this read-aloud after dinner. If it weren't for Augustine, England may not have the Anglican/Christian church!
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This is a fabulous Christian/Catholic book I would recommend to ages 9+, with minor violence and minor romance. It's a positive book, but really draws you in! It's also educationally worth the read.
Positive messages: Christianity, loyalty, love, faith
Positive role models: St. Augustine of Canterbury, a holy queen, a hardworking farmer who leaves his farm to follow St. Augustine, a hardworking boy
Educational value: It's set in Medieval Times and fairly accurate with St. Augustine of Canterbury's mission to England.
Positive messages: Christianity, loyalty, love, faith
Positive role models: St. Augustine of Canterbury, a holy queen, a hardworking farmer who leaves his farm to follow St. Augustine, a hardworking boy
Educational value: It's set in Medieval Times and fairly accurate with St. Augustine of Canterbury's mission to England.
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