Gr 5-8-Sixteen years earlier as a baby, Rune washed ashore in a boat. A sword and a pendant lay at his side. Some feared that he had been set adrift as a sacrifice to the gods and must die. Instead of raising his sword against the child, King Beowulf handed him over to the town's wise woman, Amma. Now the boy works the fields in the summer and comes into the kingdom to train with weapons in the winter. Some of the townspeople feel Rune is cursed and shun him. Rune lives a seemingly meaningless life, not knowing who he is or what fate awaits him. When a fierce dragon is awakened, a reign of terror begins in the kingdom. Rune discovers his own destiny in his quest to avenge the dragon's heinous deeds. Rebecca Barnhouse's eloquent coming-of-age story (Random, 2010) is a retelling of the final section of Beowulf, the Old English poem. Narrator Robin Sachs's soothing narration helps build the story in the listener's mind.-Robyn Gioia, Bolles School, Ponte Vedra, FL (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

As a baby, Rune mysteriously washed up on the shore of King Beowulf's domain; the king spared Rune's life though others would have killed him. When a dragon starts ravaging the land, Rune resolves to prove himself--and seek vengeance--by slaying the creature. In this well-conceived Beowulf reimagining, the characters' dynamics, especially in the buildup to fighting the dragon, will keep readers' interest. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Shaping her novel around the last part of Beowulf, Barnhouse ponders the question of good leadership in a violent age. When the infant Rune washes up on the shores of Geatland, many see him as cursed, but the aging King Beowulf spares him and places him in the care of Amma, a wisewoman, who raises him with the ancient lays. When the dragon of the poem lays waste to the countryside and kills many, including Amma and much of the guard that are not off defending against the ever-threatening Shylfings, the now-teenage Rune seeks to prove himself and avenge Amma. In a gutsy move, the author locates the climactic battle with the dragon in the center of the novel, forcing Rune and the Geats to cope with life in a post-Beowulf world and imagine new paths to prosperity. Much of this part of the narrative and the characterization seem more informed by 21st-century sensibilities than ancient Scandinavian ones, but within the framework of the likable Rune's coming of age it works, providing readers with much food for thoughtand some hope. (author's note, pronunciation guide) (Fiction. 10-14)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Rune has never known his parents, and the villagers who raised him are not completely convinced he isn't cursed by the gods. But when King Beowulf is in direst need, only Rune stands by his side, finally able to claim his destiny. Barnhouse takes the final section of Beowulf, which focuses on the story of young Wiglaf, and weaves an absorbing tale of a young man finding his courage. Told as a straight narrative, descriptions of settings and plot elements reflect back to the epic itself. Although few characters are fully developed, Rune and the woman who raised him as well as King Beowulf emerge as rounded characters. This is a great bridge book to use in a classroom either before or after broaching the Beowulf story. An author's note clearly indicates which bits of the novel have been fabricated and which are drawn directly from the poem. This novel would also appeal to those who enjoy Norse mythology in general and to readers of Judson Roberts' Strongbow Saga.--Welch, Cindy Copyright 2010 Booklist