The Squire, His Knight, and His Lady

Fans of Morris's broad-humored, good-hearted Arthurian adventure, A Squire's Tale, will be just as entertained by this sequel, which introduces Lancelot and the Green Knight. Refusing to pay the Roman Emperor a ""truage,"" King Arthur calls a war against the Empire, aided by the French; enter Sir Lancelot, whose bravery wins Guinevere's heart. Morris characterizes the queen as a vapid beauty and Lancelot as a fop, opening the way for Sir Gawain and his teenage squire, Terence, to upstage Lancelot when the Green Knight puts the king to a challenge and Gawain steps in to take the monarch's place. As King Arthur mourns Guinevere's affair with Lancelot, Gawain sets off on a quest to fulfill his part of the Green Knight's challenge. Along the way, Terence and Gawain rescue a pert and freckled lady, Eileen, from her evil uncle--and she soon wins a place in Terence's heart. Morris retells various medieval legends with plenty of action, tongue-in-cheek humor and moments of keen perception (e.g., when Arthur confides his pain over Guinevere's affair to Terence and Gawain; when Gawain insists on standing in Arthur's stead for the Green Knight's challenge). All ends happily, even for cuckolded Arthur, and a few loose ends promise a sequel (after all, Terence is not yet a knight). For those who like their adventures fast and flip, this questing comedy is good sport. Ages 10-14. (Apr.)