Archers, alchemists, and 98 other medieval jobs you might have loved or loathed

Gr. 3-6. Galloway introduces medieval Europe from 1000 to 1500 not by recounting dates, wars, and rulers but by discussing the occupations available in the society. Ten thematic chapters cover categories such as Bread and Butterobs, Religiousobs, Castleobs, Dirtyobs, and Law and Orderobs. After discussing how society was organized and how life differed during the Middle Ages, she focuses on individual occupations in segments that range from one to three paragraphs. Options available to women are considered in the introduction and sometimes mentioned again within the descriptions of individual jobs. Sidebars broaden the treatment with information on specific issues. The jaunty, cartoonlike ink drawings, brightened with color washes, heighten the informal, upbeat tone of the informative text. --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2004 Booklist

Gr 4-6-After presenting a time line and a few comments on how people lived in the Middle Ages, Galloway introduces readers to 100 occupations, many of which were unique to the period. One chapter is dedicated to castle jobs, while others delve into the roles of the clergy, law and order, "dirty" jobs, and so on. Clear, chatty language and short descriptions along with lots of white space, large type, and cartoon illustrations make this an appealing book. Castle-shaped sidebars provide additional information. Attention is paid to female counterparts of what were mostly male endeavors. (For example, a woman brewer was called a brewster and a female spinner was a spinster. And while noblewomen often made good websters, most weavers were men.) A terrific supplement to Middles Ages units.-Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.