CRISPIN: THE CROSS OF LEAD is a thrilling and endearing tale, unquestionably my favorite book of Avi's from the bunch I've read. (This is, in fact, his fiftieth book.) CRISPIN is set in 1300s England. Not only is the story steeped in the history of feudalistic medieval Britain, but Avi brings that history to life most vividly without ever once hitting you over the head with it.

"Time was the great millstone, which ground us to dust like kerneled wheat. The Holy Church told us where we were in the alterations of the day, the year, and in our daily toil. Birth and death alone gave distinction to our lives, as we made the journey between the darkness from whence we had come to the darkness where we were fated to await Judgment Day."

CRISPIN is the name of the 13-year-old peasant main character; although, the only name he's known for himself is "Asta's Son." That is until his mother dies, and in his blinding grief he stumbles upon a secret meeting in the woods between John Aycliffe--the steward of the manor--and a wealthy stranger. In a flash he finds himself the target of a plot in which he is falsely accused of a theft and declared a "wolf's head," allowing anyone to kill him on sight. On his way "out of town" the village priest tells the boy his real name, tells him to hide out for 24 hours until he can round up some provisions, and promises to reveal some more vital information the next day. Then the priest proceeds to get his throat slit and Crispin is on the run with the theft AND the priest's murder hanging over him. What happens to him is one of those stories that is so well crafted that you can taste and smell the settings, as well as hear the sinister growl in Aycliffe's throat, as you anxiously wait for something to go right for Crispin.

While trying not to reveal any more of the story, I'll also tell you that there is a character in here who I find darn near as lovable as Hagrid.

I hope that Avi is contemplating a sequel to this one--the end came way too soon for me.

Richie Partington
http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com

Crispin: The Cross of Lead, A must read

Rating: 4/5

Crispin: The Cross of Lead is a book that definitly deserved to win the Newberry medal. This interesting book set in midevil England about a 14 year old boy's struggle for freedom is of very high literary merit. The midevil setting of the book is very believable. Everything is described just as history tells us that they were in midevil England. Avi does a wonderful job of making us feel as if we are actually there with Crispin on his journey through England. The characters are also all very believable. The book is experienced by the reader through the point of view of the main character, Crispin as he travels through England after the death of his mother. He was declared a "wolf's head" by the steward of his home town which means that anyone can kill him as if he was any other animal and they will recieve a reward for doing so. Unaware of why this label has been put on him, Crispin simply flees, hoping to find freedom along the way. There are many surprises along the way, but they all flow naturally with the story as if that is what the reader knew was going to happen all along. The theme of the struggle for freedom is revisited throughout the story, sometimes subtly and sometimes not so subtly. On the first page of the book is an intriguing quote from Crispin: "In the midst of life comes death." How often did our villiage priest preach these words. Yet i have also heard that "in the midst of death comes life." If this be a riddle, so was my life." This quote is very intriguing throughout the book, but at the end it all comes together and the meaning of the quote is simple. In the midst of others' death, Crispin gains freedom, therefore a life.

This book would be very interesting for anyone who enjoys reading about midevil times. Even if a reader does not always enjoy reading about medevil times, Avi makes it interesting to anyone. So, I guess I would say that anyone should enjoy this book. It is full of enough suspense to keep the reader's attention until the end. Even after the end, the reader will still be thinking about the book and the theme within it. This book would be excellent to use in a middle grade level classroom where midevil times is be taught. The students could perform a play about the book. They could dress in midevil clothing and use some dialect from midevil England. Another way to use the book in the classroom would be to integrate science into it. The students could research to find out about life in midevil times compared to present time. They could then tell how Crispin's journey would be different if he would have had some of the technology that is available today.

crispin

Rating: 3/5

The beginning started off slow and boring. Then little by little it got better and better. When Crispin finds out Cerdic lead him into the trap is when the book started to get better. Next Crispin starts is wandering away. Then Crispin finds Bear. Bear was scary in the beginning and nice, father like towards the rest of the book. it starts to get boring until Bear teaches Crispin to play the recorder and performs in the first town. The best part is when they enter Great Wexly. Read the book to find out the rest. The book over all has a good concept. p.s.- The boring parts don't last very long.