THE ELDRIDGE CONSPIRACY
Sir Kaye the Boy Knight, Book 4
by
Don M. Winn
Genre: Children’s Chapter Book / Adventure / Medieval
Publisher: Progressive Rising Phoenix Press
Date of Publication: June 16, 2017
Number of Pages: 166, B&W illustrations
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Kaye’s father is in danger! The young knight, Kaye, and his friends Reggie and Beau enter Eldridge in search of the only man who can save Kaye’s father. During their journey, they encounter and make a powerful enemy of Baron Thomas—the self-proclaimed heir to the throne of Eldridge—who also has his sights set on ruling the country of Knox. Together, the boys dodge the baron’s henchmen and race against time to stop an assassination that would plunge the two kingdoms into war in this exciting conclusion to the series.
PRAISE FOR THE ELDRIDGE CONSPIRACY:
“This set of books just gets better and better. Yes, it’s a non-stop adventure, packed full of nasty barons and battling knights. But it’s also a story which is strongly-themed and where the bond between the characters is highly prized.” —The Wishing Shelf Awards Book Review
“Books of adventure and challenge that still offer an emotional component are hard to come by for middle-grade readers—and even more so for middle-grade boys—yet Don M. Winn hits the mark dead center with The Eldridge Conspiracy.” —Patricia Reding, 5-Star Readers’ Favorite Book Review
“This is more than just a fictional story; it teaches children about life, about friendship, making decisions, and about not putting too much stock in pride all the time – sometimes pride gets in the way of making the right decision. Great story. I would recommend that the whole series be read in order to get the most out of it and I think all kids will enjoy this tale.” —Ann-Marie Reynolds, 5-Star Readers’ Favorite Book Review
“The Eldridge Conspiracy was a rewarding read due to a wonderful writing style of incorporating dynamic characters, humor, relevancy, and the thought that even without superpowers, children can be heroes.” —Stacey Waltzer, Urban Mommies
PURCHASE LINKS:
The Making of The Eldridge Conspiracy
Guest Post by Don Winn
It’s finally here: the fourth and final installment in the Sir Kaye the Boy Knight series, The Eldridge Conspiracy.
So what can you expect from book 4 in the Sir Kaye series? In this exciting finale, the young knight, Kaye, and his friends Reggie and Beau enter Eldridge in search of the only man who can save Kaye’s father. During their journey, they encounter and make a powerful enemy of Baron Thomas—the self-proclaimed heir to the throne of Eldridge—who also has his sights set on ruling the country of Knox. Together, the boys dodge the baron’s henchmen and race against time to stop an assassination that would plunge the two kingdoms into war. At the end of this post is an early review of The Eldridge Conspiracy from the UK Wishing Shelf Awards.
I’ve mentioned in previous blogs that there are elements of the story that are inspired by actual historical events. Without giving too much of the story away, I thought I would share one of the historical accounts, and that is a story about John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster.
Parliament had assembled on January 27, 1377, with Crown Prince Richard of Bordeaux and his uncle, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, presiding. Disturbing rumors spread throughout Parliament that John of Gaunt was a changeling (not born of noble blood, but substituted as a baby for the real royal infant, who had died). These rumors were causing “great noise and great clamor” throughout the assembly.
The rumors were not true. They appear to have been spread by the banished Bishop William of Wykeham in an attempt to discredit and topple the duke. The duke was a target because of his power over the young prince.
John of Gaunt dines with John I of Portugal, from Jean de Wavrin’s Chronique d’Angleterre
The bishop asserted (falsely) that John of Gaunt’s mother, Queen Philippa, actually gave birth to a daughter but “overlaid and suffocated” her. Fearful of confessing this to King Edward, she had another infant smuggled into St. Bavoon’s Abbey and replaced her dead daughter with this living child, the son of a Ghent laborer, butcher, or porter. She named the child John and brought him up as her own. Philippa was said to have admitted this in confession to Bishop William of Wykeham on her deathbed in 1369, insisting that should there ever arise any prospect of John succeeding to the throne, the bishop must break the seal of the confessional and publicly reveal the truth.
As you read The Eldridge Conspiracy, keep on the lookout for how aspects of the account of John of Gaunt are interwoven in the story.
Don M. Winn is a multiple award-winning children’s author of eleven picture books and four children’s novels. His Sir Kaye the Boy Knight® series of novels for independent readers include The Knighting of Sir Kaye, The Lost Castle Treasure, Legend of the Forest Beast, and The Eldridge Conspiracy. Don’s picture books include The Higgledy-Piggledy Pigeon; Superhero; Twitch the Squirrel and the Forbidden Bridge; Shelby the Cat; Space Cop Zack, Protector of the Galaxy; and many others.
Don has been writing for over 20 years. After beginning with poetry, Winn moved on to writing children’s picture books. Almost immediately, his growing young readers begged for chapter books, which led to the creation of the Sir Kaye series. As a dyslexic, who well knows the challenge of learning to love to read, Winn’s goal is to write books that are so engaging they will entice even the most reluctant or struggling reader. Winn lives in Round Rock, Texas.
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Three Sir Kaye #4 ARCs + 1 Sir Kaye Series Study Guide!
(US ONLY)
June 14-June 28, 2017
CHECK OUT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
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6/14
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Book Trailer
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6/15
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Review
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6/16
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Guest Post 1
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6/17
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Review
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6/18
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Author Interview
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6/19
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Excerpt
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6/20
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Review
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6/21
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Scrapbook Page 1
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6/22
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Guest Post 2
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6/23
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Review
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6/24
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Character Interview
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6/25
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Educators’ Special
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6/26
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Review
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6/27
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Scrapbook Page 2
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6/28
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Review
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