"Rough Ride to Runnymede is a very well written and historically detailed book. I much enjoyed it and as chairman of a children's book company I can say I am sure many in the 7-14-year-old age group will learn much from it."
-Sir Robert Worcester KBE DL, founder of the social research company MORI; former Chancellor of the University of Kent and Chairman of the Emeritus Governors of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE); a Fellow at King's College London; a keen environmentalist and former Trustee of WWF, the World Wide Fund for Nature; Vice President of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust; and Deputy Chairman of the Magna Carta Trust and Chairman of the Magna Carta 800th Anniversary in 2015.
In a 13th century kingdom studded with castles, cloaked with forests, and torn apart by evil, 14-year-old Taymor Wallop must win justice from a cruel king. If he doesn't, he will die and Magna Carta, the great charter of freedom and fairness, will never see the light of day. Bullied for being brown, orphaned and alone, Tay goes on a quest to raise the banner of fair play over England. Twelve-year-old Lucy, a runaway heiress, and Archer, a runaway serf, join him. To overcome lawless King John, the three have to become a team and Tay has to be brave enough to wield the Sword of the Spirit. Tay's adventure is the story of a homeless boy who risks his life to defeat bullying and injustice. Rough Ride joins a family of adventure books that include War Horse and Johnny Tremain. Adding to its interest are a glossary section, history report, and geography notes useful for teachers.
Themes include: Empowerment, Self-Doubt, Courage, Confidence, Friendship, Fair Play, New Experiences
About the Author: Cat Glass wrote Rough Ride to Runnymede after working with homeless people and writing about men and women willing to die for freedom and justice. The homeless and the brave opened her heart and mind. Her studies in Classical Greek at Columbia University grounded her in literature and philology. Her decade-long career as an arts director showed her what the arts mean to communities. Presentations at primary schools gave her insight into the amazing imagination of young people. Cat is the author of Share the Inheritance, which explores freedom, constitutional democracy, and trust. She lives in a village in Hampshire, England, with her husband. Once lost, now found.