Bibliographical information:

Pope, Elizabeth Marie. The Perilous Gard. Illus. Richard Cuffari. 1974. New York: Puffin Books, 1992.

A 1975 Newberry Honor book.

Brief summary:

Katherine and Alicia Sutton are ladies-in-waiting to Princess Elizabeth. When Alicia writes Queen Mary to protest her treatment of the princess, Kate is exiled to Derbyshire, and put under the care of Sir Geoffrey Heron, of Elvenwood Hall (or the Perilous Gard). There she meets Geoffrey's brother Christopher, who blames himself for the disappearance of Sir Geoffrey's daughter Cecily, who seems to have fallen into the Holy Well on the manor grounds. Kate and Christopher learn that Cecily has actually been kidnapped by the People of the Hill, who are secretly following an ancient faith (with druid elements). Both Kate and Christopher become prisoners of the People of the Hill, and Kate struggles to save them both, though she also comes to see attractions to the Fairy Folk's way of life.

Comments:

This novel blends adventure, mystery, and romance. I don't know enough about pagan practices in early modern Britan to know how well Pope's representation matches up with the history of period, but Pope was a scholar of Renaissance and early modern literature--according to the jacket of The Sherwood Ring, she had a PhD from Johns Hopkins, and chaired the English department at Mills College--so she certainly knew the period well. In The Perilous Gard, she draws on various folkloric traditions, including the ballad of Tam Lin, and she describes the People of the Hill with some sympathy. My ten-year-old found the first part of the novel slow going, but then liked it a lot and found it quite surprising.

Grade/Age level:

Grades 5-10 

Cautions:

Some readers might find the spectre of human sacrifice frightening.

If you like this book, you might also like . . .

Pope, The Sherwood Ring

--Lisa Gordis

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