Reading it ahead of my children. It wasn't bad.

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. :)

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.

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.

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.

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.

the whole family enjoyed this read-aloud after dinner. If it weren't for Augustine, England may not have the Anglican/Christian church!

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.

Good. Liked how he got married to Fritha

Great book, bad title. Yes, in the book Augustine (first bishop of Canterbury) does come to Kent. But, really it's a love story about the main character Wolf and his Catholic faith, and yes, the girl he loves.

I just remember HATING this book as a kid. Not entirely sure why.

Hard to find children's books that take place in this kind of time and setting; as a Protestant, I might have wished things were presented a little differently, but nothing major