Warrior Scarlet by Rosemary Sutcliff was first published in 1958 and the setting is the Bronze Age around the English South Downs, which to my Scottish mind should really be called Ups as they are hills.

This is quite a domestic tale really as there are no wars or long adventures, but it’s still an enjoyable read.

Drem is a young boy looking forward to getting his scarlet warrior cloak and his mother is busy weaving scarlet coloured fabric, but his grandfather is less than encouraging. The trouble is that Drem’s right arm is badly damaged and he isn’t able to use it at all. When Drem overhears his grandfather saying that Drem will only ever be any good for looking after the sheep, the young boy is devastated. Before becoming a warrior the young boys have to kill a wolf using a spear, it doesn’t seem likely for Drem, but when he reaches the right age he’s determined to join the others in The Boys’ House where they’ll be training to be warriors.

There’s a lot more to this book, including a wee bit of romance and as ever with Rosemary Sutcliff the writing is lovely. The book is aimed at older young people but is well worth reading as an adult.