This is a wonderful book! It's not just for kids--I'm 25 and I read it for the first time yesterday.

Kate is a lady-in-waiting for Princess Elizabeth during Queen Mary's reign. Her sister gets Kate exiled to the Perilous Gard, a keep in the middle of the Elvenwood. Her new guardian, the sensible yet likeable Sir Geoffrey Heron is called away almost immediately, leaving Kate in the care of the menacing Master John. Christopher Heron, Sir Geoffrey's brother, is a myterious and intriguing shadow around the manor, and there are rumours in the castle that he killed his neice in order to protect his inheritance. The villagers have a different explanation, though: that the little girl was stolen by the Faerie people who tend the Holy Well. As Kate investigates these rumours, she and Christopher are swept into a terrifying and deadly adventure.

The characters of Kate and Christopher are wonderfully round and engaging. Kate is smart, curious, practical and sharp-tongued, while Christopher is honorable, guilt-ridden, and full of dreams. These are two people I wish I knew! Sir Geoffrey, Master John, and the minstrel Randal are also developed well. Kate's sister Alicia, and the old maid Dorothy aren't so well developed, but still serve their functions in the story. The Lady in the Green is a fascinating and mysterious character as the Queen of the Pople of the Hill.

I highly recommend this book - this book is definitely deserving of the Newbery Honor!

I've been interested in the Tam Lin legend since reading Jane Yolen's excellent version of it in "Tam Lin" with lush illustrations by Charles Mikolaycak (see my review). The next time I came across it was Pamela Dean's inventive adaptation of the legend for Terry Windling's Fairy Tale series (again see my review). The Perilous Gard is another fine reworking of this legend.

My email group was discussing fairy tales and fairy tale adaptations and a member mentioned this book after my post regarding the books above. I purchased it and read it. What a wonderful story. I'm always pleased to see strong female characters. For years while growing up, all I had the opportunity to read in school was books with male protagonists. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy these books, but the chance to read books with female protagonists, and strong, capable women or girls at that, is a pleasure.

It's funny, after purchasing this book, I found out that I had read another of Pope's books "The Sherwood Ring." I read it ages ago and enjoyed it very much.

You don't have to be familiar with the "Tam Lin" fairy tale (on which the Perilous Gard is based) to love this book. Part fantasy/adventure, part historical fiction, with a mild sprinkling of horror and romance, this is the story of quiet Kate, a lady-in-waiting to Princess Elizabeth (soon to be Queen Elizabeth I). When her younger sister inadvertently insults Queen Mary, Kate is (unjustly) punished and exiled to a gloomy castle ruled by a moody baron with tragedy in his past. Kate meets and befriends the lord's enigmatic brother, Christopher, and just as she learns of his role in his brother's misery, he disappears. Armed with only rumors of the strange folk who live beneath the earth, Kate sets out to rescue Christopher and uncover the mystery of this odd land, nearly sacrificing her life in the process.

Despite the Elizabethan setting, readers of any age will identify
with Kate's timeless adolescent insecurities and feelings of inferiority towards her sister, touted as "the pretty one." But she rises above these feelings in a time of need, and proves herself to be strong, smart, mature, and incredibly courageous, a great role model for young girls. This is a gripping, cleanly written, and sometimes harrowing story with a thoroughly satisfying ending. Its Newbery honor was much deserved.

If your one of those moms looking for a book to give your 10-12 year old, this is the book. I'm 10 and this is definately one of my favorite books of all time. It's basically a story of a young girl who goes off to live with her uncle who is "totally obsessed" with history. Throughout her stay with her uncle, she "encounters" many characters from history, including: Peaceable Sherwood. This book describes a lot of events during the revolutionary war and makes them come to life. Elizabeth Marie Pope is a great author and I can't wait to read her other book.

When orphaned Peggy Grahame goes to live with her Uncle Enos in the old Grahame ancestral home, the past comes alive. The ghosts of her ancestors come and tell her about their lives in the Revolution, while actual current events mirror those of their pasts.

Barbara Grahame, the most frequent ghostly visitor, is an independent and intelligent young woman living in the American Revolution. Her interaction with the extraordinarily clever British officer, Peaceable Sherwood is very enjoyable to read...particularly as Peaceable is nemesis of Barbara's brother, Dick (a young captain fighting for American independence). At the same time, serving to frame the story, Peggy uncovers mysteries of the past, and is led to her own romance with a young man from England.

A very unusual and thoughtful Revolution story with possibly the best ghosts I've ever read about.

Peggy Grahame is an orphan who is sent to live with her cranky uncle in his old family estate, Rest-and-be-Thankful. She makes one friend on the trip,a British scholar studying in America. But when she gets to Rest-and-be-Thankful, her Uncle Enos says that her friend, Pat, can never enter the house again. Peggy can't figure out why Pat isn't allowed, and she is lonely without any friends. The plot thickens when ghosts from the Revolutionary War start visiting Peggy. She is visited by four ghosts in all, and each time she is visited she learns a new piece of a complicated history of the house.

It is an awesome book, with a happy ending. It is very well written, and you get really close to the characters. It is a little slow at the beginning, and sometimes the plot lags when you get to Peggy. Peggy's story isn't quite that interesting, but the ghosts's stories are great. Also, when you are reading it, keep in mind that this was written in 1958, so some of the ideas are a little outdated. But overall, this was a very interesting read. The Sherwood Ring is written for kids 9-13, but anyone will enjoy this book and want to add it to their collection.

I think that the book was sorta boring and definetly not great. I mean the theme is pretty good, but I've read books that were a lot better.

great book. it is really interesting. i've had this book since 5th grade and i haven't read it till now (10th grade) i'm sorry i didn't. it was great- duh george.

I read the book The Perilous Road by William O. Steele. If you like exciting books you should read this one. I really don't like to read but this book I really enjoyed reading. The story takes place during the Civil War. Chris Brabson hates the union troops for many reasons. He tries ro get them back for stealing their food through a variety of ways.