Master Cornhill

I bought this book for use in my son’s homeschool program. It was asked that he read it to me. We ended up taking turns reading it out loud to each other.This is a historical fiction story. My son is 13. He is not an avid reader so he found some of the wording hard to follow & understand. As an adult reading it, I found it extremely well written, thoroughly researched & thoroughly enjoyable. When we finished, I decided to purchase other stories by the same author.Despite my son’s frustration at times with it, it was a very good experience for him, especially that we did it together. He connected with the characters, became concerned about their well-being & looked forward to knowing what was going to happen.

We purchased this for our Sonlight Homeschool Curriculum. The order arrived quickly and was in the expected condition as described by the seller. This was a fantastic read and my daughter loved it.

Perhaps more likely to appeal to young males, this coming of age story centers on Master Cornhill, a twice-orphaned lad of 11 1/2 years. Due to the sweep of the Black Plague in 1665 he is left without a home, family, or friends. He is left to shift for himself as he forms new acquaintances. As if things were not difficult enough, the following year brings the Great Fire of London. The book is rich in period detail and daft language of the times. If you have read aloud a few nonsensical children's storybooks it will be easy to have fun with such words as tarradiddle, Lud (Lord), or nowt-head (knothead or numbskull). (It is also very useful to have watched Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett), Hercule Poirot, Jane Austen, and other period pieces to pick. The cockney and courtly languages of London comes alive in those productions.) There are also several Dutch words sprinkled in, most of which are self-explanatory. Jongen means young one, grootvader I think is grandfather, and meidje means maid for a few examples.The reader learns about balladeers, map-colorers, shopkeepers, boatmen, and a several other trades. This makes a fine read-aloud for grades 2-5 or 6 and an independent read for grades 5-10.

This book is, to put it succinctly, a masterpiece, which deserves to be better known. Eloise Jarvis McGraw brings an almost cinematic vividness not only to London in 1666, but to several characters who jump off the page and into your hearts. Tom, the ballad seller, "gold and silver" Susanna, and Michael Cornhill are so crystal clear in character you feel you know them. The details of life in that era are so well described that you can hear the cacophony of church bells, see the throngs of people (reputable and disreputable), feel the fear of the plague and then finally, feel the shock and despair when London begins to burn. To my mind, only Robert Louis Stevenson has written any boy's adventure book that surpasses this pithy gem. Somehow, like Stevenson, McGraw is able to tell a gripping story and to educate us about history and human nature at the same time. I was already an adult when I read this book, and I think that maybe I enjoyed it more than I would have as a child. So don't think you're too old for this treasure!

Your kids will never forget the date of the Great Fire of London after they read this book!Wonderful family conversations about why people turn to fantasy, preparing for a future, honesty...And best of all a terrific read! My kids and I loved this book.

Master Cornhill is about an orphan 11 year old boy in London around the time of the London Fire and the Black Plague. I like the descriptive language,the pictures and the map , all of which helped me to imagine what it was like to live at that time and in that place in history. The main character, Michael Cornhill, was courageous and loyal to his friends. I admire the way he searched for his identity and tried to find his way in the world without parents. I definitely recommend this book for anyone.

This book is big on description, slow on plot. I had a hard time reading it aloud to my children. The author uses too many words to describe what is happening.