The Crispin: Cross of Lead
Filed Under (Adventure Movies Reviews) by admin on 10-03-2010
Tagged Under : Crispin:
The Cross of Lead starts off with suspense and keeps building until the end. AVI does a great job with his descriptions and the mystery takes on new life when young Crispin meets Bear. Young adults and adults will find it refreshing as Crispin realizes sometimes life is not always as it seems. Great story and action. Even some history is snuck in very subtle and makes this story seem more real. Loved it. I would have liked even more action, but the suspense was great ennough to keep readers turning pages until the dramatic ending.
Number Of Pages: 320
Release Date: 2004-05-03
Original Language: English
Unknown: English
Published: English
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
Amazon.com Review:
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
- ISBN13: 9780786816583
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
List Price: USD 6.99
Lowest Used Price: USD .1
Lowest New Price: USD 3.00
Good and fast-paced
"Asta's Son," as he is called, is left to his own devices when his mother dies in 1377 in the tiny, poor English village of Stromford. He doesn't have a family and knows nothing of his father. All his mother leaves him is a cross of lead that he carries with him as he flees his village when declared a "wolf's head"--a person who can be killed on sight--for allegedly committing a crime. His priest, the one person he trusts, is murdered after trying to help and telling Asta's Son his real name (which is Crispin). Crispin's world has turned upside-down.
After days trying to survive on his own in the woods, Crispin encounters a huge man in an abandoned church named Bear. Bear forces Crispin to swear to name him his new master. At first, Crispin despairs over this, but as time goes by, he realizes that Bear is a smart, kind man who truly cares about his well-being. Although Bear treats Crispin well, he keeps secrets from him, such as: who is Bear really, how does he know how to read and write, and why is it so important that he get to the town of Great Wexly for the Feast of John the Baptist? Of course, it doesn't help that they keep running into the man who declared Crispin a "wolf's head" either--even in the huge town of Great Wexly.
This book is a great, fast-paced read. Crispin, who at first seems a bit wishy-washy and timid, grows hugely as a character and we end up rooting for him as he fights (yes, fights!) for who and what matters to him.
Crispin, The Cross of Lead
The book was for my daughter to have for class. It was in the condition I expected.
