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The Good Master by Kate Seredy

The Good Master

By Kate Seredy
Level 5
Review:

This book is a very worthy Newbery Honor winner, set in pre-World War I Europe on a Hungarian ranch. As the novel begins, Jancsi is excited to go pick up his cousin Kate, whom he has never met. She is coming from Budapest to recover from measles in the country. But Kate is not quite what Jancsi was expecting. The book paints a vibrant, detailed portrait of life in the Hungarian countryside as Jancsi learns to appreciate his hardworking rural life, and Kate, a young, motherless girl, learns the meaning of love and family. As an interesting side note, Kate Seredy originally wrote this book in English, but English is not her first language—an amazing fact considering the rich writing full of imagery and exceptional sensory language. This book would make a great read-aloud.

(Reviewed by Jenny Phillips)

Region Europe, Hungary
Period 20th Century, 1900s, early 1900s
Genre Historical Fiction
The Good and the Beautiful Library No
  • Top Picks
  • 4 Entertainment Value
  • 5 Moral Value
  • 5 Educational Value
  • 5 Literary Value
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Entertainment Value

All books on our list are chosen to be engaging, but books that rank high in entertainment value may be more appealing to reluctant readers and/or those who are new to good and beautiful books.

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Literary Value

Books that score high in literary value include exceptional writing, use of literary devices, and a rich vocabulary. All books on The Good and the Beautiful Book List are well-written, but some have a higher literary value than others.

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