November 19

‘Crispin, the cross of lead’ by Avi

Crispin_and_the_Cross_of_LeadCrispin is a story about a boy who is a slave, and is living in poverty. This book is set in the 1300s, in medieval England. Crispin was accused of a crime that he didn’t commit: killing his mother. Crispin was forced to run away from his village, taking with him his mother’s cross of lead.

John Aclyffe is the villain of this book, and he is also the one who blamed Crispin for the murder of Asta, Crispin’s mother.  During this getaway from his village, Crispin strives to discover more about his mother and himself, as he doesn’t know much about himself due to his mothers death. People then started hunting him, and Crispin was given the title of the ‘Wolf’s Head’, meaning that anyone who found him could kill him.

This book involves a lot of mystery and action. I would recommend this book to be for ages above 12, and throughout the teenage years, stopping at 18. This book has lots of crazy things that you wouldn’t expect; I was so engaged in the book because after every chapter I read, curiosity just kept me reading.

Some of the main characters include Crispin, Asta who is the mother of Crispin and John Aclyffe, who is the steward of the manor of Stormford. This novel has a very slow start, yet it picks up a very nice pace throughout the book as you read on. This is such an exciting book that I would advise many people within the recommended age range to pick up this book and give it a read. Once reading to the point Crispin starts his wild adventure, there is just no stopping yourself from putting down this novel, as the adventure Crispin goes on is the best part of this book.

Braden G.

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Posted November 19, 2014 by marjk in category Adventure stories, Historical fiction, Student Reviews

About the Author

Teacher-librarian at Aquinas College, Southport, Gold Coast, Australia

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