Ritter von heute

BASIC INFO	LANGUAGE LEVEL	COMPREHENSION-AIDING FEATURES
Book Title Ritter von heute (Knights of Today) Author(s) Robert Harrell Illustrator(s) Sean McMullen Other Contributors n/a Published by Compelling Input Productions Wayside Publishing Genre Historical Fiction Publication date 2012 #Ownvoices N/A	From the author/publisher’s website Level A2/B1 ACTFL Intermediate Suitable for High School German 3/4/AP Total Word Count (none given)	Illustrations                    YES  Glossary                          YES   Guiding Questions       YES   Context                            YES   Other

IDENTITIES PRESENT IN THE TEXT		SYNOPSIS
Races, Ethnicities, and Nationalities White Arab (Middle Ages) German Muslims under the rule of Saladin US-American Languages spoken German English Sex and Genders Male Female Ages Teenager: 13-18 Young Adult: 18-35 Mid-life Adult: 35-65 Social classes Peasants / Commoners Royalty	Sexual Orientation Heterosexual (Dis)Abilities and Neurotypes None mentioned in text Religions, Syncretism, and Spirituality Christian Muslim Family and Relationship Structures Heteroparental Adoptive family Body Descriptions Jamaal, a classmate of Geoff’s, is described as “little/short.” (p.5)	From the author/publisher’s website  Geoffrey Lightstone, high school football player, goes to the aid of a student being bullied by a gang at school. His act of heroism costs him a trip back in time to the German Middle Ages. Follow Geoff as he finds his way in the exciting world of Kaiser Friedrich Barbarossa and the Third Crusade. Find out if he gets back to the present, his friends, and his girlfriend Staci.

ILLUSTRATIONS	STORY	SOCIAL JUSTICE
To what extent do the illustrations present positive and thoughtful representations of identities? The book’s illustrations are black and white cartoon sketches on the first page of each chapter that illustrate key events from the chapter. Characters’ faces are not clearly illustrated.	We understand identities are complex and no single story represents the spectrum of identity-based experiences. Also, a text may address a stereotype, misrepresentation, or generalization without relying on it. Does any stereotype, misrepresentation, or generalization affect any positive and thoughtful representations of identities in the text? Female characters are not in a variety of roles that could also be filled by a male character.	This section is for teachers who are working towards sourcing more texts within the four domains of anti-bias education. We are excited about reading all books and we understand that not all books are written for this specific purpose.  Does this text work toward goals within any of the four domains of anti-bias education as defined by Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance)?  Identity: Promote a healthy self-concept and exploration of identity

LLLAB’s REVIEW
Ritter von heute tells the story of Geoffrey Lightstone, a high school football player who is learning German at his school in the US. One day after school, Geoffrey witnesses a classmate getting beaten up by a gang of skinheads on school property, and he attempts to intervene. In attempting to escape from them, Geoffrey jumps off of a balcony, but instead of falling to the ground, he is somehow transported to the year 1183 in what is now Germany. Geoffrey works his way from being a commoner to being a knight in the army of Kaiser Friedrich Barbarossa before ultimately returning to his life in the present day. Throughout the story, Geoffrey’s internal monologue indicates that he strives to show respect to others, no matter their relative social or economic status. The family with whom he first lives in medieval Germany marvels at his humility and respectfulness, both in the polite German he uses to address them (p. 20) and as he helps them with household chores (p. 25). He returns their generosity when he becomes a knight with more wealth and privilege (pp. 66-67). Geoff also reflects on “knightly virtues” throughout the story, including how to intervene in cases of injustice. Every chapter title is a reference to knightly virtues, and each virtue is demonstrated through his actions.  Geoff steps in to rescue his peer Jamaal from a gang of skinheads (p. 6) and gets beaten up in the process (p. 7). He reflects later on how “the invisible is the most important,” not the material wealth one accumulates (p. 31). He shows great care for the soldiers under his command when he becomes a knight, protecting them over himself in a critical moment (p. 86).  As Geoff journeys through the Middle Ages, he contemplates economic class, drawing parallels between contemporary notions of wealth in the United States and the lifestyles of the peasants and nobility in medieval Germany: “Er dachte an die vielen Leute in Amerika, die viel Geld hatten, nichts arbeiten und nur Unsinn machten” / He thought about the people in America, that had a lot of money, didn’t work and only did nonsense (p. 67). Geoff seems to rise up through societal ranks based on his deeds: “Jetzt sagt der Arzt auf der Burg ‘Ihr’ zu mir” / Now the doctor says “you (formal)” to me (p. 51). Despite his rise in status, he continues to treat all around him with respect, which is mirrored in his fair treatment of classmates in the present time frame in the United States. The author uses the feudal concept of a “Prügelknabe” (“Whipping boy”) in the two time frames in the book to draw parallels between the two worlds. Teachers may wish at this point in the story to explore the cyclic nature of history. In the part of the storyline that takes place in the Middle Ages, the concept of the “Prügelknabe” is introduced: “Nur mein Vater und meine Mutter dürfen mich schlagen, machen es aber nicht. Deshalb ist ein andere edler Junge mein Prügelknabe. Wenn ich einen Fehler gemacht habe, muss ich da stehen und zuschauen, während jemand mein Prügelknaben schlägt. Ich denke, dass ist schlimmer als geschlagen zu werden, denn meinetwegen tut es einem anderen Menschen weh, und ich muss zusehen.” /  Only my father and mother are allowed to beat me, but they don’t do it. That’s why another noble boy is my whipping boy. If I’ve made a mistake, I have to stand there and watch while someone beats my whipping boy. I think that’s worse than being hit, because because of me it hurts another person and I have to watch (p. 54). This idea is mirrored in the beginning of the story as Geoff comes to the aid of Jamaal, whose attackers say to Geoff: “Looks like you just became our whipping boy…” (p. 7) The story also discusses women stepping into male roles while men were away at war. When Geoff originally appears in medieval Germany, he is taken in by a woman named Gudrun, whose husband is away fighting in the Crusades. “Der Mann und der älteste Sohn waren weg, weil ihr Herr sie brauchte…Gudrun, der jüngere Sohn und die Tochter mussten jetzt alle Arbeit tun” / The husband and the eldest son were gone because their lord needed them…Gudrun, the younger son, and the daughter must do all the work now (p. 26). With the exception of Gudrun, women in the story are often wives or girlfriends to the male characters, or prized for their beauty.  Geoff’s girlfriend, Staci, seems to exist only to prove how “normal” and “perfect” Geoff’s life is. The text depicts her as having no agency herself. In addition, Geoff falls in love “immediately” with the wife of Kaiser Barbarossa upon seeing her and marveling at her beauty. The narrator tells us that the empress is so beautiful that men before and after Geoff would also fall in love with her on sight (p. 52).  The description of the Crusade in this reader emphasizes a European Christian perspective of the time. The background of the Crusades allows Geoff to experience great victories on the battlefield to further advance him in society. The book does not acknowledge other perspectives or the brutality inflicted by European Christians on other ethnic and religious groups during this time.  After the death of his father, the new Kaiser Friedrich remains convinced of the justness of the Crusades. “Der junge Friedrich wollte jedoch weiter. Er glaubte noch an die heilige Aufgabe seines Vaters. Er glaubte, dass er Jerusalem Frieden bringen könnte. Friedrich glaubte noch an die “Gerechtigkeit der Kreuzzuges” / However, the young Friedrich wanted to go further. He still believed in his father’s sacred task. He believed that he could bring peace to Jerusalem. Friedrich still believed in the justice of the crusade (p. 80).  LLLAB Note: This review was reposted on March 13, 2024, to clarify some wording.