Jeffrey Strangeways

Chivalry is alive and well in the dreams of Jeffrey Strangeways--a young lad of medieval times who longs to be a knight. When Jeffrey's mother breaks both her arms in an accident--thus losing her means of meager livelihood from her knitting--she insists that her son look for work. A chance meeting with Sir Walter of Winterwood from the famous Free Lance Rescue Services Knight Agency entangles the 11-year-old in a web of mishaps that eventually includes killing an evil ogre and pursuing his gallant aspirations. Murphy's ( Peace at Last ; The Worst Witch ) lighthearted novel deftly combines comedy, adventure and suspense, though her breezy third-person narrative contains occasional asides that jolt the reader into the 20th century--``Big sweaters and knitted outer garments had not caught on in the Middle Ages.'' The book's design features black-and-white spot illustrations throughout, which offer evidence that boys of yore were not much different than their modern thrill-seeking counterparts. Ages 8-11. (May)