King of the Middle March.

CROSSLEY-HOLLAND, Kevin. King of Middle March. (ArthurTrilogy, Book 3.) Scholastic. 432p. c2004. 0-439-26600-9. $1795. J*

After two and half years, the final installment of Crossley-Holland's Arthur trilogy is complete. Picking up after Book Two ends, the Fourth Crusade (1202) and the legend of King Arthur are interwoven into the story of now 16-year-old Arthur de Caldecot, who is being called by his real name. Arthur de Gortanore.

Book Three offers little summary of the previous books and instead begins in the middle of Arthur's service to Lord Stephen as the Fourth Crusade musters in Venice, Italy. Arthur becomes a knight and learns what it means to be a part of a large multinational army. But the business of preparing for battle is not as honorable as he thinks it should be; and when his father Sir William de Gortanore arrives, Arthur is further troubled to be related to such a disagreeable man. There is infighting among the troops, including a disturbing scene in which a young boy is trussed and put into a catapult, and personal conflict involving Arthur's difficult father.

Arthur still carries his obsidian stone and follows the life of the legendary King Arthur, the search for the Holy Grail and the final battles that destroy Camelot. Along with Arthur is Bertie, a 13-year-old squire; Serle, Arthur's older cousin; and Simona, the Venetian shipbuilder's daughter. It is not until the end of the story that the mysteries surrounding Arthur's parentage. which are significant in Book Two, are resolved and the surprising connection to King Arthur is revealed.

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers.

*--The asterisk highlights exceptional books.

Janis Flint-Ferguson, Assoc. Prof. of English, Gordon College, Wenham, MA