Booktalking Colorado - Full Booktalk Record

Booktalking Colorado Full Record:

	Title:	The Ballad of Sir Dinadan
	Author:	Morris, Jim
	Date Published:	2003
	Genre:	Fantasy
	Grade Level:	6 - 8
	Booktalker:	Sam Marsh

Booktalk:
Dinadan never had an aptitude for the knightly arts...or for any role of the nobility. His mother had died when he was a baby, and his father; Sir Meliodas cared nothing for his intelligence or his musical abilities. His older brother, Tristan, was already a famous knight about whom Dinadan had written a heroic poem. Dinadan was a bit worried because noblemen's sons just did not become minstrels, or become friends with common fold and ride careless through the woods playing and singing to themselves as he did. Then, his father decided that he would knight Dinadan himself, to "set the boy right in the head at last, or kill him trying!" Of course, his father was drunk and as close to cutting a limb from Dinadan's body as to knighting him. But, his steward helped him steady his arm, and then the old man passed out. Dinadan rode out that very night with his father's second best warhorse, his own armor and weapons on its back, and a gentle mare to ride. The next day, he found a circle of bright tents with a cook-fire in front. Her ladyship Lady Miriam fed Dinadan and then told a story of her land being taken over by a villainous knight called Sir Edmund. Dinadan agreed to help her regain her land from the evil man. However, while pondering how to do so, he came upon two men chatting in the front of a small farm. They were friendly and one offered him hospitality in his home. Dinadan accepted, only to find out that the farmer was the aforementioned Sir Edmund and was concerned with a motley band of mercenaries who had recently moved to the region...the lady Miriam and her entourage as it turned out. Dinadan returned to Lady Miriam's camp intending to try to find her alone. Instead, he heard her talking to Sir Annui, the leader of her soldiers about their scheme to have Dinadan kill Sir Edmund, after which they would dispatch of Dinadan himself. On impulse, Dinadan walked to the front of the tent, entered and started to tell a story about a fight that he and Edmund had with each other. Embellishing in the way only a true minstrel could do, he drew his sword, intending to take Sir Annui off guard. Instead, he knocked over the lamp, plunging the interior into darkness. He hear another sword being unsheathed and raised his own in defense. His sword was stopped abruptly, caught on something. He jerked it free, and as his eyes adjusted to the gloom, saw Lady Miriam pick up the lamp and relight it. Annui was dead, caught by mistake by Dinadan's sword. The lady stepped close to Dinadan, the grabbed a tiny dagger and leapt at Dinadan...only to have her foot catch on Annui's body. She fell on her dagger and died. Dinadan told the guards that the two were in counsel and left the camp. By the time that Dinadan reached Camelot, he had made a rousing good heroic story of the entire affair. As he was traveling incognito by the name of Stearnes, he felt no qualms about embellishing the whole thing. But, when presented to King Arthur and asked his real name, he had to come clean. He admitted that the tale he had made was a fabrication, and faithfully recounted the actual happenings. King Arthur asked if the basics of the Lady and her henchmen being after Sir Edmunds land were true. When told yes, but that Dinadan had been lucky, Arthur replied that the reason for a tale was to make the facts better and that Dinadan had saved a good man from an oppressor and conducted himself with commendable humility and honesty. "Dinadan, do you wish to join my fellowship?" he asked. And so, Dinadan did in fact become a knight of the round table...although a most unusual one.