Title: Crispin: The Cross of Lead Author: Avi
Website: http://www.avi-writer.com/books/books/crispincross.html
Summary: “Asta’s son” is all he’s ever been called. The lack of name is appropriate, because he and his mother are but poor peasants in fourteenth-century medieval England. But this thirteen-year-old boy who thought he had little to lose soon finds himself with even less—no home, family, or possessions.
Accused of a crime he did not commit, he has been declared a “wolf’s head.” That means he may be killed on sight, by anyone. If he wishes to remain alive, he must flee his tiny village. All the boy takes with him is a newly revealed name—Crispin—and his mother’s cross of lead.
His journey through the English countryside is amazing and terrifying. Especially difficult is his encounter with the juggler named Bear. A huge, and possibly even mad, man, Bear forces the boy to become his servant. Bear, however, is a strange master, for he encourages Crispin to think for himself. Though Bear promises to protect Crispin, the boy is being relentlessly pursued. Why are his enemies so determined to kill him?
Crispin is gradually drawn right into his enemies’ fortress where—in a riveting climax—he must become a different person if he is to save Bear’s life and his own. He discovers that by losing everything, he has gained the most precious gift of all: a true sense of self.
My Take: WOW! A great book, putting one right back into the time period as Avi can do so well. What Crispin goes through and endures in his life, and the way it is described, makes this book one of my all times best reads. Crispin's trials and tribulations are wonderfully told and a treasure to read.
And this is just the first in a trilogy of Crispin books!
