A Riddle of Roses

February 15, 2001
Gr. 4-7. Meryl, expelled from the Hall for a year for reading the great bard Taliesin's collection of songs and adventures, heads on her own quest to Avalon. She vows to return with wisdom, the sign of being the bard that she so desperately wants to become. Canadian author Mullin has written a fantasy replete with genre conventions: magical talismans, fairy helpers, and a variety of humans, both good and evil, who facilitate--and interrupt--her quest to become a bard. Simultaneously far-fetched and charming, this offers that special intermediate reader a glimpse into an imaginative world that combines elements of myth, Arthurian legend, folklore, and fairy tale. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)