Review: A Coherent, Accessible Intro for Middle-Graders
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 21, 2012
I applaud all efforts to popularize the old Welsh tales, especially ones that go beyond Arthur and Merlin. There are a number of wonderful works that incorporate the most well-known stories, including Susan Cooper's "Dark is Rising" series, Jenny Nimmo's "Magician Trilogy", Lloyd Alexander's "Chronicles of Prydain", and stand-alones like Fisher's "Darkhenge". That said, it's very hard to find an accessible Mabinogion, much less one aimed at middle grade readers.This book, although brief and although representing just a small part of the Mabinogion, is a wonderful place to start. Mr. Shepard has done a commendable job of distilling what are, after all, fragments and pieces of stories, into a reasonably coherent tale. He has also done a nice job of preserving the feel and flow of the tales while modernizing the language and shaping the narrative.And remember, these are basically 800+ year old versions of the same fantasy/quest/magic stories that fill the middle grade shelves now. That's pretty cool, (even for people who, unlike me, never wanted to name their daughter Bloudwedd).So, if you want a nice, tight, entertaining and understandable intro to the world of Welsh/Celtic myth,  this is a great find.