"Crispin: the Cross of the Lead" by the one-word author, Avi, was the recipient of the 2003 Newbery Medal. It only took about two pages into the book, before I was hooked. However, I had my doubts based on the terrible cover. The cover is a drab brown with a graphic that shows a surprised looking boy. The cover did absolutely nothing to grab my interest. I almost did not check it out at my local library due to the dull cover! It didn't say, "hey, this is a fantastic adventure book with lots of plot twists and turns, on par with the Harry Potter series or the Artemis Fowl series or the Rick Riordan books."
Despite the misleading and disappointing cover, the book thrills! It is historical fiction--taking place in 1377. Crispin is a thirteen-year-old boy who lives under feudalism. He lives and works with his mother at Lord Furnival's manor. However, the Lord has been gone for years (fighting wars) and the steward of the manor, John Aycliffe, is in charge. Aycliffe loathes poor Crispin and serves as the book's main antagonist.
Like any good adventure, the book thrusts the reader into action early on. His mother dies and his one friend, the village priest, is murdered. Crispin is falsely accused of theft and Aycliffe declares him "a wolf's head", meaning that he is a marked person--anyone who kills him will be rewarded with riches. Suddenly, Crispin can trust no one. His world is turned upside down. He is on the run--and is hunted by many. Having almost no resources, it's incredible that he survives.
Another mark of a good book is that it raises "story questions" early on to entice the reader. Avi does this with aplomb. For example, before the priest is murdered, he tells Crispin that his father is an important man, a noble. Crispin's mother told her son that the father was dead, killed by the Bubonic Plague. Also, the priest intimates that Crispin's seemingly illiterate mother could read. Crispin doesn't believe it, still reeling from his mother's death and his "wolf's head" status. Like a good writer, Avi entices his readers with such morsels of information to keep us reading.
Avi's book has many elements of the whole mythical hero plot subgenre. For instance, Crispin is a reluctant hero. He has nothing, is nothing, has no status, no father, no riches--so he thinks. Later, his father is revealed. Second, Crispin has a helper, a wise person, who helps him. This could be either the priest or a man named Bear. Bear is a circus performer whom Crispin meets later in his journey; they have a complicated relationship. At first, Bear demands that Crispin be his slave, but later they help each other. Third, Crispin goes on a journey (though by force) to leave home in order to restore order.
Avi writes in the first person with Crispin as our narrator. His language is true to the Old English way of speaking, which may be difficult for some child readers. However, the action sequences help to nullify difficult language. Words like "blight", "sustenance", "pillaged", "thrushes", "hamlet", and "crone" may be hard for some child readers, which is something a teacher should be mindful of.
Avi's writing is poignant and apt. For instance, there is one scene (around page 59) where Crispin--still alone, scared, tired and hungry--stops at a village to look for food. He realizes that the villagers have been killed by the plague from several years before. There is no one in the village. Pondering the plague's toll on the village people, Crispin muses, "Here, not one person appeared to have remained alive. The profound stillness that embraced all was its own sad and lonely sermon." Beautiful and poignant writing indeed.
Despite the differences in time, Crispin reminded me--oddly--of the 1993 movie The Fugitive, probably because Crispin is a hunted person--like Dr. Richard Kimble. Also, the action scenes are as fast and furious as that movie's were.
Crispin is an excellent story; I think it would appeal to boy readers especially. As a piece of historical fiction, it has the added benefit of teaching kids what it was like to live within the feudal system of the 12th century, which opens to floor to a discussion of basic human freedoms that we take for granted today.
No comments:
Post a Comment