A moving account for young children about St. Augustine, the first archbishop of Canterbury, who was sent out by Pope Gregory the Great in 595 as a missionary to England to convert the pagan King Ethelbert of Kent and his Anglo-Saxon kingdom to Christianity.

A fun youth historical fiction book about the work of St. Augustine of Canterbury that started in 597 A.D. as he lead a team that took the gospel to England.

I haven't read all of Rosemary Sutcliff's The Eagle of the Ninth series, but I'm pretty sure this book addresses aspects of early British history that she doesn't cover in that series. The first three books of that series give a good background for understanding something about the Roman occupation of Britain. ETA: I now see that Sutcliff has another separate book Dawn Wind that covers this (I even own it....).

Willard's book has exiled Britons in Rome traveling back to Britain as part of a papal mission to spread Christianity. There is plenty of action and drama, and we get some glimpses into what different participants might have thought about the great changes that were occurring.

I found this story of St. Augustine of Kent and the Benedictine monks bringing the Christian message back to Britain after the Roman Empire pulled out well done and captivating. St. Martins Church in Canterbury, their first home and the ruins of the monastery they founded are still there. The fictional story of the Angle captives, freed by Pope St. Gregory (based on historical fact), who accompanied them gives the story interest and context, especially for younger readers. I've enjoyed all historical fiction by this author.

no one should have to read this book (unless it is for school) oh and
Elevetha Houre you are absolutely right

Didn't love. Not using for MS class.

Really interesting, captivating story! We enjoyed getting a view of how mission efforts in the early church were accomplished. Family readaloud, ages 8-13.

Read aloud with the kids as we studied medieval history. Not the most thrilling of historical fiction, but a good introduction to a time and place in history. The kids enjoyed it.

Characters were not engaging and the writing was lifeless. Had I remembered that this author also wrote Son of Charlemagne (which I read in my early teens and still remember how much I disliked it) I would have skipped this one as a read aloud for church history. Augustine is barely mentioned, and the whole plot felt forced. My 9 year old seemed to enjoy it more the nearer we got towards the end.

AWESOME BOOK! The drawings are awesome, and i trace the last photo all the time in my drawing notebook! A good beginners book but is good for adults too!

This is a story about a young boy and his father travelling to England with Augustine on the mission to bring Christianity to the island about 600 ad.

I read this out loud to my kiddo as part of her school lessons. It depicts a rich visual of early Christian evangelism in Britain during the reign of King Ethelbert in Kent (not to be confused with the Saxon King Ethelbert who ruled over Wessex 860 AD). Augustine (of Canterbury - NOT to be confused with Augustine of Hippo who wrote Confessions and City of God) was sent on behalf of the Pope (Gregory) from Rome to bring Christ to the pagans. It's an interesting read, rich in what the world must have looked like to the Christians. I look forward to diving into this time period with the kiddo deeper when she's older and finding work that might highlight more of what the people of Kent were feeling. To Barbara Willard's credit, she does not turn a blind eye to the tension for the sake of being child-friendly though the book is child-friendly. Can't wait to acquire all the Living History Library books, they truly do help us remember our history timeline better.