King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (Junior Classics) (Classic Literature With Classical Music. Junior Classics) by Benedict Flynn

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (Junior Classics) (Classic Literature With Classical Music. Junior Classics) Reviews

• 
  Nicole

  (audio book read by Sean Bean)
  First listened to: May, 2009. Listened to again: December, 2011. (How did I let it get under the stack and wait so long before listening again?) Listened to bits and pieces of it occasionally since then.
  A good distillation of the major Arthur-Guinevere-Lancelot-related stories of the legend, with the bonus inclusion of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. (I do wish Sir Gareth had been mentioned more than in passing, because he's my favourite, but I can see how the author would feel the tale is not essential.) Sean Bean's voice adds to the story. He has such a sexy voice. And he does a marvellous job reading the story, altering his voice slightly and doing accents to bring different characters to life.
• 
  Georgene

  I have the audio version of this book. It is read by Sean Bean. Who CARES what the stories are like, his voice is WONDERFUL! Given that, I must say that Mr. Bean does very well at this narration. His vocalizations of the few female characters are good without being silly or "squeeky". It seems that each character has a unique "voice". Bravo!
• 
  Codie's Book Corner

  I may be biased because I listened to the audiobook which Sean Bean narrates but - SEAN FRICKIN BEAN!!
• 
  Илияна Димитрова

  На книга, прочетена от Шон Бийн няма как да дам по-малко от 5 звездички :D
• 
  Shannon

  I don't often listen to audiobooks, but this was narrated by Sean Bean and that hooked me.
  
  2019 Update: Listened to during the holiday season, and I feel like finally starting to remember the stories!
• 
  Charlotte

  Too much Lancelot I hate that guy
  Otherwise great
• 
  Denae Christine

  Reader thoughts: Well, that was short and easy. It read much like a Great Illustrated Classic, with all the main tales summarized down to the main points. There was little dialogue and little character development.
  
  We see Arthur, Gawain, Galahad, the Grail, Merlin, and Mordred. We see more of Lancelot than I usually do. In fact, he's more a full character than the rest. He has anxiety over betraying his king by, er, being with his queen. No, Lancelot only keeps Guinevere company because she'd otherwise be so sad. Yuck.
  
  I much prefer
  Gerald Morris's retellings from the squires' points of view. Those are good for middle-grade level. Maybe this book is good for about middle-grade level too. Considering the allusions to sex and affairs, I wouldn't give this to anyone younger than 10. Maybe 12? It's not explicit at all.
  
  Writer thoughts: If you will write a retelling, you want something new and unique. Perhaps you are telling the story from a new point of view. Perhaps you've added dragons. Perhaps you changed it so that Cinderella and the prince have been friends since birth or that she really is a princess in her own right. Perhaps you've taken a leud set of tales and simplified them down to kid level and some measure of cleanness while still keeping the gist of the classic.
• 
  Toni

  An interesting take on the King Arthur legends/oral stories. All my exposure to the King Arthur legend has been from movies/tv etc...so I was surprised by this taking of the accounts which there are 130 knights of the round table!! I thought there were 12? Then it checked - haha, so many different versions. This leads to the next notable character...
  
  Whoa, Guinevere- definitely not a feminist vision of her character but has she ever been portrayed in a positive light? I really don't know and I'm interested in finding out how the world has put her fictional character to the tests of modern thought...
  
  I can pretend to see the influences in why this story was written but I don't have facts...so I'll keep reading each version just to see.
• 
  Ross Holmes

  This was my first long-form introduction to Arthurian legend, sadly, but it was totally worth it. In a fairly short span, it hits all the highlights, while very efficiently showing the strengths and weaknesses of all the incredibly memorable characters who sat around the Round Table or hid out in the swamps of Camelot scheming. It left me wanting more, but in the good way, where I felt like it set me up for further exploration without falling short of its goals.
• 
  Eton School Library

  I recently read this book to our Lower Elementary students as a study of what folklore, legends, and storytelling over time can bring to us. The overwhelming feedback I received is that the students LOVED listening to King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It offered them a chance to imagine the story they were hearing, to wonder about the ways stories shift over time, and to be part of an epic journey.
• 
  Terri Floccare

  A decent version of the Arthurian legends for middle grade readers. I read this as an audio book. I enjoyed hearing Sean Bean read this. He lent the characters the right amount of gravitas and nobility. This is very accessible for young readers. Some of the morality in the tales are difficult to explain, but this tells the tales without dwelling on some of the more mature aspects.
• 
  Kara

  
  A shorter version of the usual King Arthur tales, drawing from both Mort d'Arthur and Sword in the Stone; it covers all the big plot points from beginning to end without getting bogged down in nitty gritty details.
  
  This would be a good book to read in order to know the basic groundwork before getting into various retellings and reworkings.
• 
  Kim_reads

  Read this one as I’m doing Believathon readathon with a prompt to read a children’s book with the same first letter as your name, K is not an easy letter to find a book for, but King Arthur was the first one I found. I listened to the audio book of this one. Sean Bean’s narrative really bought the tale to life. I thought I knew the tale of King Arthur but turns out I didn’t.
• 
  Kate

  I want Sean Bean to read me all medieval fantasy stories from now on. Also, this one was a trip down memory lane for me. I had a copy when I was little and reread it so much that the hardcover spine fell off. I still have it.
• 
  Eliza

  a very good version of the legends, good reader
• 
  Tom O'Brien

  A gentle and evocative retelling of Arthurian tales for younger readers/listeners, aided in the audio version by Sean Bean's excellent performance.
• 
  Kathryn

  A good, basic founding Arthur text. The audiobook was read by Sean Bean which earns it an extra star. I'm
• 
  Kimball

  I just want to learn more about this mythical King Arthur but these children's books are failing me. I'm going to try the movie next to gain greater context.
  
  Who put the sword in the stone.
• 
  Alicia

  This was an abridged version. I think it'd be good for kids. Sean Bean was a great narrator!
• 
  Jeffrey Lazarus Buggy

  I don't remember it to well, but i remember that as the first experience of the written King Arthur that I've had, and it was good.
• 
  Alesia

  I enjoyed this version of king Arthur's story. Great book.
• 
  Sarah

  A highly enjoyable version of the myths, it reads easier than previous versions!
• 
  K

  有名な、というか教養の範疇の「アーサー王」をようやく初めて読んだ。ああ、なるほどこれはアーサー王からだっらのかと思ったこと多々。基本中の基本であることを実感。それにしてもなんとも生々しいというか、踏んだり蹴ったりな話で、アーサー王が気の毒になってしまったり。色々な物語の原点になっていることがよーっくわかりました。
• 
  April Robertson-Ring

  Fun for any age. Easy to read, not to scary for kids.
• 
  Kelly Adams

  Interesting read.
  Did not know how scandalous this book was
  Exciting quick read