The Youngest Templar: Keep of the Grail
Michael P. Spradlin
The Penguin Group
978-0-399-24763-7
Action/Historical fiction
Jack, 8th grade, MMS

THE UNNAMED SAVIOR

“Though I am called Tristan, I have no true name of my own. It was Brother Tuck who found me on St. Tristan’s day, nearly fifteen years ago. He is a kind, and gentle man, but a deaf-mute, and unable to even write down for me how I came to be here. The Abbot, a much sterner sort, tells me that I was found that August night on the steps of the Abbey. A few days old at the best, hungry and crying, wrapped in a soiled woolen blanket.” Page 1, paragraph 1.

Tristan was a mere teenager growing up in an Abbey, who never expected to one day be a brave squire, let alone become the keeper of the Holy Grail! Tristan was too busy thinking about his true identity, which he thought he would never know. Then one day the Knights Templar came to stay at the Abbey, and that’s when he made his first friend, the brave, respected Sir Thomas, and his first enemy, the slimy Sir Hugh. Just like that, he was off as a squire for Sir Thomas. He was trained fast, and was even able to meet the King. But when the Saracens teemed up with the al Hessians and surrounded their fort, Sir Thomas had to act fast, entrusting Tristan with one of the most known religious artifacts in the world, the Holy Grail.

Michael P. Spradlin’s The Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail is a fantastic read for all ages. This novel was seriously hard to put down; the characters and the plots were amazing, and they twisted together with each other. After the first paragraph I was hooked and interested. I know anyone will enjoy this book no matter if they are used to reading action or drama. The same questions kept coming up: Will Tristan successfully deliver the Grail to safety? Will he ever find his true identity? Pick up this book to find out!