Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! by Laura Schlitz

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Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village is a 2007 children's book written by Laura Amy Schlitz, after she was inspired by the Munich-Nuremberg manuscript (an illuminated poem from thirteenth-century Germany). The book was awarded the 2008 Newbery Medal for excellence in children's literature.

Want to know what life was like in a small village in England in 1255? Schlitz’s incredible amalgamation of realistic rural villagers draws the reader into what everyday life was like in medieval England. Schlitz, a librarian at an elementary school in Baltimore, originally wrote the book as a series of monologues, so that each of her fifth grade students could perform as a main character in their school play. Most of the short stories relate to the previous story and character, and important facts and explanations are listed in side columns that bring an intrinsic learning element to the book. All classes of citizens are covered in this book, from beggars and slaves, to the merchants and craftsman, all the way up to the children of the local Lord. The action of the story comes off as authentic, and the facts and information of the villagers’ daily life are so random and foreign to modern life, you will want to continue reading to learn more.

Schlitz, L., & Byrd, R. (2007). Good masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a medieval village.  Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

-Ms. J