In Bronze Age Britain, Drem must overcome the disability of a crippled arm in order to pass his tribe's test of manhood and become a warrior.

A Novel Inquiries Literature Guide is available for this book.

Margot Davidson, author of the Novel Inquiries series writes:

"The writing in [Warrior Scarlet] is superb. It is well constructed and full of exquisite imagery. The themes are quite relevant to the 7th-9th grader since they address the passage to manhood and finding one's place in the world.
However, there are two caveats to give about the story.
The first is that the illustrations are dreadful. They are not even accurate, much less attractive. I felt they distracted from the story instead of enhancing it. An interesting activity for your student might be to critique the illustrations and explain how they fit or don't fit the story.
The second is that there is a scene in Chapter 14 in which the Druid priest performs the rite of warrior initiation. The author describes the young men being somehow hypnotized by the Druid and Drem claims to look through the eyes of the priest into the bright-light face of the sun god. It is described as an intense spiritual experience and really should be discussed with the student. It is similar to the description of other primitive tribes where drugs, extreme hunger, or hypnotism cause the participant to see visions and hallucinations.
Since Drem's experience sounds a little like Moses seeing the face of God, it would be important to explain the difference. The themes of the story may include the following: overcoming handicaps through perseverance and hard work, acceptance of God's will when things don't go as planned, having humility to see wisdom in others."

Author:Rosemary Sutcliff (1920-1992) wrote dozens of novels for young readers, including the award-winning trilogy set in Roman Britain," The Eagle of the Ninth, The Silver Branch, "and"The Lantern Bearers," used in Volume Two of Connecting with History. Shortly before her death, she was awarded the CBE, one of Britain's most prestigious honors.
A Novel Inquiries Study Guide is available for this title .