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Lloyd Alexander Literature and Fiction English

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by Lloyd Alexander

Author:	Lloyd Alexander
Subcategory:	Literature & Fiction
Language:	English
Publisher:	Firebird; 1st Printing edition (January 14, 2002)
Category:	Teens and Young Adults
Rating:	4.7
Other formats:	lrf docx mobi lrf

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Westmark (1981) is a fantasy novel by Lloyd Alexander, named for a fictional kingdom that is its setting. Alternatively, Westmark is a trilogy named for the novel, its first book. The novel won a 1982 National Book Award

Westmark (1981) is a fantasy novel by Lloyd Alexander, named for a fictional kingdom that is its setting. The novel won a 1982 National Book Award. Showing influences of the French existentialist writers whose works Alexander translated early in his career, the series is far darker and more adult than his previous books for children including The Chronicles of Prydain

Lloyd Alexander (1924-2007) was the author of numerous books for children and adults, including highly acclaimed, classic fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain and The Westmark Trilogy. His books have won numerous awards and accolades including the Newbery Medal, the Newbery Honor and the National Book Award.

The trilogy of books won multiple awards including a National Book Award for Westmark. The stories center around the main character, Theo.

I'm reading the Westmark Trilogy thirty years after first reading it and enjoying it just as much the second time. I had forgotten how grim and brutal The Kestrel was in its depiction of war. Lloyd Alexander sets a tone that is quite different from his earlier novels where the dark passages would always be leavened by humor and whimsey.

Enjoy the book and remember support the author if you like i. He has every printer in Westmark by the throat. Well, I wish I had him by the throat. I wish somebody would.

Enjoy the book and remember support the author if you like it. - EyesOnly. Part One The Printer's Devil. 1. Theo, by occupation, was a devil. That is, he worked as apprentice and general servant to Anton, the printer. Before that, he was lucky enough to be an orphan, for the town fathers of Dorning prided themselves in looking after their needy. So, instead of sending him away to a King's Charity House, where he would be made miserable, they arranged the same for him locally.

The Westmark Trilogy Author: Lloyd Alexander Number of Books in Series: 3 Age Group: 12 - 17 years. Reading Level: AR Levels . -5. 9 F&P/GRL estimated O-P DRA estimated 50-60 Lexile® measure 670L-710L

The Westmark Trilogy Author: Lloyd Alexander Number of Books in Series: 3 Age Group: 12 - 17 years. 9 F&P/GRL estimated O-P DRA estimated 50-60 Lexile® measure 670L-710L. Book 1: Westmark Ages 12-17. AR: . (. Points, Quiz GLE: . Lexile measure: 690L. Book 2: The Kestrel Ages 12-17. Lexile measure: 710L. Book 3: The Beggar Queen Ages 12-17.

When Theo agrees to print a traveling showman's pamphlet, he only thinks. Lloyd Alexander engages the reader with every word and writes stories that matter, that mean something. I was wrong; this trilogy stands among the very best of young adult literature and I wish it were included in the reading lists of English classes.

The first volume of Lloyd Alexander's classic Westmark trilogy finds a printer's apprentice on the road with a traveling show

Falling in with a roguish doctor, his dwarf attendant and an urchin girl, Theo embarks on an unforgettable adventure in the kingdom of Westmark. An American Book Award, An ALA Best of the Best Books for Young Adults, A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year.

Falling in with a roguish doctor, his dwarf attendant and an urchin girl, Theo embarks on an unforgettable adventure in the kingdom of Westmark.

Winner of the American Book Award (now known as the National Book Award)An ALA Best of the Best Books for Young AdultsA School Library Journal Best Book of the YearWhen Theo agrees to print a traveling showman's pamphlet, he only thinks of the money it will bring in. Instead, it sets off a chain reaction that results in the smashing of the press and the murder of his master. Caught on the wrong side of the law, Theo must flee the city. Soon, he has teamed up with the traveling showman Count Las Bombas (who is actually a con artist) and his servant. The trio is soon joined by Mickle, a clever, strong-willed girl with a mysterious past. Performing feats that astound and amaze, the motley crew falls into a trap set by Chief Minister Cabbarus, who is determined to wrest power from the grief-stricken king. Now they must not only save themselves-they must save the kingdom...This is the first volume in Lloyd Alexander's classic Westmark trilogy.

Comments:

Vareyma

It's a shame this novel is out of print. I bought a used copy from Amazon because I've long been a fan of Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles and wanted to try some of his other work.

Westmark has all the trappings of a typical fantasy novel -- princesses disguised as paupers, a boy hero from the streets who longs for more, even a dwarf -- but it's also more grounded than you might expect in a YA fantasy novel. There's no magic, no epic quest. And the story is unusually concerned with morality: what's right, what's wrong, what can be excused by warfare and necessity?

The story moves quickly, but never feels rushed. The characters start out as broad archetypes, but never feel clichéd. I won't say I enjoyed this as much as the Prydain novels, but I did enjoy it. I'll definitely hunt down the next two in the trilogy.

Arith

well written and entertaining story. The plot and the twists are interesting and well done. The characters dissatisfaction with the way the country is mis-run has several parallels with modern society. I would recommend it to Middle School and up, mostly because they would get more out of it than a younger child.

I wish the two other books in the trilogy were on here - The Kestrel and The Beggar Queen,

Morad

This was a purchase for my children as I like them to keep reading and learning to further their education. They enjoyed it.

Thordibandis

great

Kikora

I am enjoying my book very much. I love that it is hardcover and it will last for a long time.

Zut

Look, I love Lloyd Alexander. I devoured the Chronicles of Prydain like Halloween candy, and after that, I bought up any Alexander novels I could find. So the only way I can justify myself in writing this review is by pretending that “Westmark” wasn’t written by Lloyd Alexander. Which it might as well not have been for all the resemblance it bore to his work.

Theo is a devil. Well, not literally. That’s what they call a printer’s apprentice in Westmark. But Theo doesn’t get to be a devil for much of this story; he and his master try to fill an order that will make them rich only to get busted by the evil chief minister’s goons, forcing Theo to go into hiding with Count Las Bombas, the very same charlatan that got him into trouble in the first place. Theo, Las Bombas, the dwarf Musket, and the foundling girl Mickle form a sideshow that travels throughout Westmark, conning people right and left. Theo doesn’t really think that all this dishonesty is right, but how can he leave his new friends behind, especially when one of them might be the key to saving the kingdom?

The Achilles heel of this story isn’t anything I just summarized for you (the predictability of the rest of the plot is another matter) but a decision Alexander made about the tone of his tale: he tried to be too serious. Now, Lloyd Alexander is normally anything but serious. Not frivolous, not without a moral lesson or three, but lighthearted with plenty of humor and parody. Well, “Westmark” isn’t like that. I’d think it was trying to be an epic if it weren’t for the occasional unfunny joke thrust without warning into the narration. The forced seriousness made it hard for me to take anything seriously. None of the characters made an impression on me, the "romance" made me roll my eyes, the dialogue was rather wooden, and the prose was adequate at best. The plot, as I said above, was a little predictable on top of that. Overall, I just couldn’t keep myself interested.

I feel bad about this, honest I do. If “Westmark” hadn’t been written by one of my favorite authors, I might have been a touch kinder, given that it’s still not the worst fantasy a kid could be reading. On the other hand, I might not have had the willpower to give it a chance had it not been for the Alexander name stamped on it. Nevertheless, I think I’m done with this series. There are apparently two sequels, but I’m not that interested in reading more hackneyed save-the-kingdom-and-get-the-girl books. I’ll just search out more of the Alexander I know and love.

JOGETIME

I've been a Lloyd Alexander fan for a long time now, and in spite of the hype over the Prydain novels, i think this series deserves to be called his best work. being the first of three novels, with The Kestrel being second and The Beggar Queen third, Westmark serves to set up the rest of the series but is far more than just that.
in a world askew, the characters bear conflicted consciences worthy of Russian literature, set forth with such artful simplicity that it is truly breathtaking. the Christian reader may be disturbed by the open humanism. don't be. in spite of the author's views on the power of humanity, his vision in everything else is remarkably clear, and the portrayal of right and wrong, innocence and corruption, is by far the most awesome in children's literature i have ever seen, and it is only fated to get better as the series continues.
one of the things i have always loved about Lloyd Alexander is his refusal to lower himself or his characters to crudeness, a high ground rarely taken by modern authors, and the interest of the story does not come from a steamy romance or bloody fight scenes. the characters are intriguing in themselves, and the story flows from them almost as if they wrote it themselves. this is what children's literature-indeed all literature-should look like, and when fads like Redwall and Twilight have died away, these books will survive, loved and beloved for generations to come.

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