The Red Towers of Granada

A swashbuckling adventure with the bonus of powerfully distinctive illustrative work. In this 1966 re-release, Trease evokes the flavour of thirteenth-century life in England and Spain with this usual meticulous attention to historical detail. Robin of Westwood is exiled from his village, wrongly believed to be suffering from leprosy. He falls in with Solomon of Stamford - a Jewish doctor - and his family. When Solomon is summoned by the dying Queen Eleanor to seek the Golden Essence which may save her life, their journey to Spain begins. They are pursued by ruthless villains, compelled to fight for their lives, sheltered by Jewish and Moslem communities. Tension and reader interest are maintained throughout and the two female characters are, refreshingly, more than the mere ciphers too often encountered in this genre. A most useful addition to Lower School book boxes - second-year boys, in particular, will find much to hold their attention. Cross-curricular links with History are easily pursued through books of this kind.