Crispin: Cross of Lead, The (Crispin)

Crispin: Cross of Lead, The (Crispin)
by Avi

Crispin: Cross of Lead, The (Crispin)
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Book Summary Information

Author: Avi
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2004-06-01
ISBN: 0786816589
Number of pages: 320
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH

Book Reviews of Crispin: Cross of Lead, The (Crispin)

Book Review: The misadventures of Crispin
Summary: 4 Stars

To be perfectly honest, I've never been a huge fan of the whole medieval thing (beyond blatant fantasy). But I love Avi and I feel this is well-deserving of its Newberry. It keeps this low-key, almost grave, aura all the way through. Crispin's adventures are a lot of fun, and it fits into his world of serfdom.

The characters are great, as well. Avi has always done marvelous characters. They're realistic, not always wild, but fun and loveable and most of all believable.

Plenty of adventure and great writing.

Summary of Crispin: Cross of Lead, The (Crispin)

The 2003 Newbery Award Winner and New York Times Best-seller. "Avi's latest novel is superb combination of mystery, historical fiction, and a coming-of-age tale... Breathlessly paced, beautifully written, and filled with details of life in the Middle Ages, this compelling novel is one of Avi's finest."-Book Report
Genre-jumping author Avi clocks in here with his 50th book, Crispin: The Cross of Lead, an action-packed historical narrative that follows the frantic flight of a 13-year-old peasant boy across 14th-century England.

After being declared a "wolf's head" by his manor's corrupt steward for a crime he didn't commit (meaning that anyone can kill him like a common animal--and collect a reward), this timid boy has to flee a tiny village that's the only world he's ever known. But before our protagonist escapes, Avi makes sure that we're thoroughly briefed on the injustices of feudalism--the countless taxes cottars must pay, the constant violence, the inability of a flawed church to protect its parishioners, etc. Avi then folds in the book's central mystery just as the boy is leaving: "Asta's son," as he's always been known, learns from the village priest that his Christian name is Crispin, and that his parents' origins--and fates--might be more perplexing than he ever imagined.

Providing plenty of period detail (appropriately gratuitous for the age group) and plenty of chase-scene suspense, Avi tells a good story, develops a couple of fairly compelling characters, and even manages to teach a little history lesson. (Fortunately, kids won't realize that they're learning about England's peasant revolt of 1381 until it's far too late.) (Ages 10 to 14) --Paul Hughes

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