In the background for most of the story is Beatryce's noble mother - now imprisoned by the villainous king - who's defied law and convention by insisting her daughter be educated the same as her sons. Fortunately, she soon realizes she has strong, loving friends - not just Brother Edik (the monk) and Answelica (the goat), but also Jack Dory, a resourceful orphan who's still grieving over his murdered parents and dreaming of revenge but finds new purpose in protecting Beatryce. With her head shaved and a new disguise as a monk-in-training, Beatryce tries to figure out her new place in the world and how to stay alive. Set in a war-torn medieval world, it involves a 10-year-old princess being pursued by soldiers who have already murdered her tutor and younger brothers the brief refuge she finds, thanks to a kind monk and a protective goat, at a monastery and the consternation it causes when they learn she can read and write, which is very, very forbidden for girls in their world. Parents need to know that The Beatryce Prophecy is a fable by Kate DiCamillo ( Because of Winn-Dixie, A Tale of Despereaux), with lively illustrations by Sophie Blackall. On the more slapstick side, Answelica the goat terrorizes the monks but adores Beatryce and saves the day more than once with a well-timed bite or head butt.ĭid you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide. An adult character is traumatized because when he was little, his family abandoned him at the monastery and never returned. A knight is haunted by his past bloodshed and a creepy, smelly angel of death. Jack Dory's parents were slain by robbers in the woods he has nightmares of his mother's screams, and he dreams of revenge the sword that killed his parents and Beatryce's brothers is important to the story. All the monks but her one friend are too scared to protect her, and choose to abandon her to her fate.

Beatryce's brothers have been brutally murdered in the past, and she is in mortal danger throughout the story - not just because her family's killers still seek her, but because she's a girl who knows how to read. The entire world is involved in a war that long since killed Beatryce's father and has a way of reaching into every aspect of daily life, whether you're a victim, a participant, or just trying to lie low and survive it all.

The beatryce prophecy gift edition