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THE EAGLE OF THE NINTH

Name: THE EAGLE OF THE NINTH
Author: Rosemary Sutcliff
ISBN: 0312644299

by Rosemary Sutcliff ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 15, 1954

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A fresh background this, and one that is its own reward in an unusual story of Britain under Roman suzerainty. The conflict with the native tribes was sporadic, and demanded the Roman Legions. Marcus Flavius Aquila, whose father had commanded the First Cohort of the Ninth Legion- lost, unexplained, somewhere in Britain, is on his first command when the story opens. By its close, he has won his honors in a hard cause,- wounded, permanently crippled, in one action, achieving the impossible in reclaiming the lost eagle of his father's command- and clearing up the mystery of its disappearance. He has learned too what it means to accept defeat —to put down roots in a new land- to find friendship and love. Maturely conceived, grounded in scholarship.

Pub Date: June 15, 1954

ISBN: 0312644299

Page Count: 243

Publisher: Oxford Univ.

Review Posted Online: May 10, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1954

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION

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SWORD SONG
by Rosemary Sutcliff

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THE WANDERINGS OF ODYSSEUS
by Rosemary Sutcliff & illustrated by Alan Lee

- BOOK REVIEW
BLACK SHIPS BEFORE TROY
by Rosemary Sutcliff & illustrated by Alan Lee

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AHIMSA

by Supriya Kelkar ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2017

This 2015 New Visions Award winner offers a complex narrative and inspires readers to check their privilege to address...

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Although Kelkar’s debut novel takes place in colonial India in the 1940s, when Indian citizens were fighting for independence from British rule, it is uncannily timely: 10-year old Anjali grapples with issues of social justice in many of the same ways young people are today.

When Anjali’s mother quits her job to become a freedom fighter, Anjali is reluctant to join the struggle, as it means she will have to eschew her decorated skirts and wear home-spun khadi (hand-woven cotton) instead, inviting the mockery of her school nemeses. But as her relationship with her mother evolves, her experience of and commitment to activism change as well. When her mother is imprisoned and commences a hunger strike, Anjali continues her work and begins to unlearn her prejudices. According to an author’s note, Kelkar was inspired by the biography of her great-grandmother Anasuyabai Kale, and the tale is enriched by the author’s proximity to the subject matter and access to primary sources. Kelkar also complicates Western impressions of Mohandas K. “Mahatma” Gandhi—Anjali realizes that Gandhi is flawed—and introduces readers to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, a figure rarely mentioned in texts for young people in the United States but who is best known for campaigning against social discrimination of Dalits, or members of India’s lower castes.

This 2015 New Visions Award winner offers a complex narrative and inspires readers to check their privilege to address ongoing injustices. (Historical fiction. 8-12)