Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!

     Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! is a collection of 22 short monologues which was first written to be performed as short plays.  The book was written by librarian and playwright, Laura Amy Schlitz.  This book won a Newbery Award in 2008.  Originally written as a way for students at Mrs. Schlitz's school to have an individual role in a school play, these monologues were compiled into a book.  The monologues are written in an 'old world' style since the setting of the book is a manor in Midieval England in the year 1255.  The short plays contains elements of humor, struggle and sorrow as much of Midieval life was about survival.  Many of the characters in this book are wretched, depraved, or are losing hope, but many characters are determined, resolute, and courageous. Each page reveals more and more of manor life and the helps the reader learn about the social hierarchy at that time.  Needless to say, Mideival living was never dull or boring, since fighting and struggling to live another day is never a dull task.  Life in this age was not fair to the majority of the populus.  Poverty was the norm.  Feudal Lords were the ones that had the wealth.  In this since, history shows us that greed, war, and survival is interesting. It is this revelation that the author hopes to convey, and she succeeds in my view.  I would recommend this book for a gifted class or middle school aged students, since the language will be a considerable barrier to most children.