Quest for a Maid

I discovered this book when my daughter was 10. I read it to her at bedtime (and dad too). We all loved it so much. It's a real historical adventure novel for kids...exciting, touching, page turning, heartwarming and a wee bit of romance. Our family has Scottish heritage, so it served as a jumping off point for family history and history in general. The characters behave like real children of the same age. Fear and bravery are both believable. Class differences and physical disfigurement are overcome as the children learn to understand and value one another as real friends. They learn that people and the world may not be what you expect...or they may be just what what you feared..

I chose this book because I had just heard about this fascinating episode in history - an episode which started with a king's death and involved a possibly pregnant widow, a power struggle over the throne, a princess from Norway, a shipwreck and even an imposter burned as a witch in Bergen, Norway (this is not a spoiler, just a fact mentioned in a history book). The story had already been made into a age-old ballad (The Ballad of Sir Patrick Spens) and was recorded in modern song versions by Fairport Convention (among others). I was thrilled to discover someone had written a novel about this intriguing part of history, and I decided to read this book even though it was supposedly intended for readers as young as 10 years and up.The plot was interesting and engaging from start to finish. I liked that one of the characters had a disability - young Davie Spens had a cleft lip that gave him a severe speech disability.The book includes a glossary at the end of the book because the author writes in Scottish dialect. This was charming and colorful, but it also made it more exhausting to read. It didn't help that the chapters were long (for example 34 kindle pages). I rarely made it past one chapter per sitting.I do recommend the book, but be warned that the dialect could make it too difficult for some young readers (particularly ones who prefer short chapters). And I can't really imagine reading it out loud to a child, unless you're from Scotland.

4.25 starsI read QUEST FOR A MAID because it kept popping up under another website's recommendations. It was suggested because I loved Sherryl Jordan's THE RAGING QUIET.The adventure took place somewhere during the mid-thirteenth century. Remember that because much of the interplay was consistent with that era. The leading protagonist was the plumpish Meg Wright and her story began at the age of nine with a toothache.She was the youngest of (seven?) daughters and her father was a widowed peg-leg shipbuilder. They lived in Scotland. Meg had inadvertently witnessed a murder by witchcraft following her toothache 'cure'. Her loving oldest sister, Inge, whom was known as an herbal healer, had been coerced into killing King Alexander III.From there on out, Meg began some wondrous adventures. Those same adventures encompassed both land and water. And along the way she saved several lives and became betrothed at a very early age. I found the mixture of actual history mixed with numerous fictional characters intriguing.Many people have referred to this story as a children's fantasy or young adult story but I actually think adults, as I did, would find this wonderful entertainment. If you cherish QUEST FOR A MAID, I would encourage you to read THE RAGING QUIET or Irene Northan's THE TINNER'S BRIDE. All of these stories are historical pieces of medieval fiction with a mixture of reality and a light romance.

Frances Mary Hendry's QUEST FOR A MAID is a persuasive retro view of an event in Scottish history involving SIR PATRICK SPENS, which was worked into a poem known to every British school child and maybe American too.Wonderful characters and amazing historical detail--altogether a delight.

Quest for a Maid is wonderfully full of Scottish atmosphere, which, frankly, is why I picked it up. But beyond that factor, the story is strong and compelling -- despite the fact that it dabbles a bit in witchcraft, not usually a favorite of mine. A must for any young girl.

Good gift.

I first read this book when I was about 8 or 9, so nearly 20 years ago, and it's one of those books that stuck in my head. I recently had a desire to re-read it, so purchased it and I can honestly say it's as wonderful a book at the age of 27 than it was at the age of 8.It's the perfect blend of historical children's fiction and magic. You grow to really care about the characters, Meg, Davie, Peem, Inge....and really want to know what happens to them.If you're not Scottish or have trouble reading Scots it can sometimes be a bit "What did you just say?" as a lot of the dialogue is in Scots. But I think it adds a little bit of authenticity to the writing.I really recommend this for both children and adults. It's a wonderful story.