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Opinion
From Library Staff
From Library Staff
Winner, 2003. “Crispin: The Cross of Lead,”published by Hyperion Books for Children, is an action-filled page-turner set in 14th-century England. “Asta’s son” is the only name the 13-year-old title character has ever known when he is suddenly orphaned and stripped of home and possessions. Accused... Read More »
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vpl_childrens
Aug 15, 2014
In Middle Ages era England, Crispin has been raised by his mother alone, never having any knowledge of his father. Upon her death, Crispin finds himself almost totally friendless, except for the village priest who begins to help him. When the priest is found dead, Crispin is blamed and he goes on the run for his life, beginning an adventure that spans three wonderful novels: Continue this one with Crispin: At the Edge of the World and Crispin: The End of Time.
13 year old "Asta's Son" flees his village after being tagged a "wolf's head" and nearly being killed. He learns his real name is Crispin and finds a huge friend named Bear to guide him through the countryside to the truth about his birth.
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Add a CommentIn the 14th century, a newly orphaned village boy named Crispin has been accused of a crime he did not commit and is thus declared a wolf's head which means, terrifyingly, that he can be killed on sight, by anyone! Now he is on the run in an unfamiliar world in which his only ally is the enormous and somewhat frightening man called Bear. Crispin’s only clue to his past is the lead cross that was his mother's only possession. Unfortunately, Crispin cannot read its inscription but he nonetheless begins a breathtaking adventure across England, in order to succeed at both evading his captors and hopefully discovering who he is in the process. This is part one of a well-written trilogy for fans of riveting fiction set in Medieval times. Avi is a prolific novelist with many books to choose from after you make your way through Crispin’s trilogy
This book was hard to get through.
In Middle Ages era England, Crispin has been raised by his mother alone, never having any knowledge of his father. Upon her death, Crispin finds himself almost totally friendless, except for the village priest who begins to help him. When the priest is found dead, Crispin is blamed and he goes on the run for his life, beginning an adventure that spans three wonderful novels: Continue this one with Crispin: At the Edge of the World and Crispin: The End of Time.
Extremely well-done historical fiction set in medieval England, totally deserving of the Newbery it won. Avi does a great job of balancing a really good story, well-done character development, and lots of nice historical details that really give you a good sense of how insular and small life in a medieval village would be. It's the first in a series, but honestly works as a standalone, even with unanswered questions.
"Sir, you're hurting me."
"The Devil take your hurts. Why did you run away?"
"I had to."
"Had to?" he said, his grasp so hard I thought my arm would snap.
"I ... was proclaimed a wolf's head."
A wolf's head! In fourteenth-century medieval England, this means you can be killed on sight by anyone. Thirteen-year-old Asta's son, Crispin, doesn't know why he's being falsely accused of stealing, why the extreme step of declaring him a "wolf's head" has been taken or why his enemies are pursuing him so relentlessly. Now he's on the run in a world that is entirely strange to someone who has never left the tiny village in which he was born. His only ally is the enormous man who call himself Bear. Crispin is not entirely sure if Bear is a friend or an enemy. His only clue to the mystery of his situation is the leaden cross that was his mother's only possession. But he lacks the ability to read the words that are inscribed on it. Join Crispin on a race across England to discover who he is and why someone wishes him dead!
Read it to my 14-year-old and we found it to be predictable and poorly written. Some the character's behaviors were unbelievable and the ending seemed completely unbelievable. Hard to believe this won a Newbery award.
My review here: http://writbywhit.blogspot.com/2013/05/crispin-and-other-stories-of-boys-of.html
Exciting, but..
Read it to my sons ages 11, 9, & 7 and every night they were protesting when it was time to stop. It was probably a little hard for the 7 yr old to follow but some discussions about what they thought was going to happen next cleared things up for him.