What an ingenious idea!  The author Laura Schlitz came up with the idea for this book while working as a librarian.  She wanted to have a play that allowed for all the students in her class to have a significant role.  It needed to be informational and interesting.  This book is the result.

Seventeen monologues for both male and female readers are present.  Each monologue has accompanying illustrations and foot notes for clarification.  These notes were excellent.  Each word I was unfamiliar with had an explanation.  The stories were interwoven.  We meet Mogg and then later we learn about her brother Jack.  Still later find out how Jack and another character, Otho, became “friends.”  I especially enjoyed the shared readings with both male and female voices answering each other.  Every few pages included a short historical lesson about the time period.  These lessons included information about three-field farming, medieval pilgrimages, the Crusades, etc.  I truly enjoyed this collection.  I think older children will enjoy learning about medieval times in this interactive format.