(4) YA After her father is arrested for treason, Elizabeth Milton (daughter of John) seeks hidden messages in Paradise Lost that could save him from the executioner. She's aided by a handsome young Italian man with ties to Galileo and by the king's illegitimate son. The pacing grows repetitive (rush to follow a clue, pause to consider your father, repeat), but the chase is entertaining.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Jude Daly. Willard abridges and retells Milton's epic, excising classical references but preserving his Christian interpretation and some of his imagery. This prose version is serviceable, but a good audiobook of the poet's own words is likely to give young people a more dramatic and enticing entry into his work. Daly's illustrations have child appeal, yet they tend to sanitize and oversimplify.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2004