Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi
Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Award Nominee 2005 Grades 6-8
Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi
Hyperion Books for Children, 2002. 262 pages.
This fast-paced, action-packed adventure, set in 14th century England, is about an orphan who is forced to flee his village. Taken in by a juggler, Crispin learns about freedom, fate, and his own mysterious parentage.
Author’s Biography
Avi was born in New York City in 1937 and raised in Brooklyn. He worked as a librarian and wrote plays before he began to write children’s books. Acclaimed for his works of historical fiction for young readers, Avi won the Newbery medal for Crispin: The Cross of Lead and a Newbery Honor for Nothing but the Truth. He enjoys photography and visiting his fans at their schools.
Summary
This Newbery Medal book, which VOYA called “historical fiction at its finest” is a fast-paced, exciting thriller.
In the midst of his grief over his mother’s death, the thirteen-year-old boy known only as “Asta’s son” finds himself caught up in circumstances he cannot understand. John Aycliffe, steward of the boy’s poor fourteenth-century village in the log absence of the crusading Lord Furnival, has declared the boy a “wolf’s head” (less than human) for a crime he did not commit, thereby sentencing him to a certain death. The boy finds an ally in the village priest, who informs him that his real name is Crispin and who promises to tell him of his origins. When the priest is murdered, Crispin flees for his life and meets up on the road with Bear, to whom Crispin becomes an apprentice.
Other Books Written by Avi
Beyond the Western Sea; Blue Heron; Encounters at Easton; Midnight Magic; Nothing But the Truth; A Place Called Ugly; Second Sight: Stories for the New Millennium; The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle; Windcatcher; Wolf Rider
Books with Related Subjects
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Fourteenth Century
Beduin’s Gazelle by Frances Temple; Captives of Time by Malcolm Bosse; Company of Fools by Deborah Elis; Dante’s Daughter by Kimberly Burton Heuston; England’s Failed Revolution: The Peasant Revolt of 1381 by Alastair Dunn; Girl in a Cage by Jane Yolen; I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade by Diane Lee Wilson; Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman; Tales of the Slayer, Vol 2 by various authors
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Identity
Dark Side of Nowhere by Neal Shusterman; Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen; Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson; Jip by Katherine Paterson; King of Slippery Falls by Sid Hite; The Land by Mildred Taylor; Lorenzo’s Secret Mission by Lila Guzman; Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli; The Other Shepards by Adele Griffin; Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas; Run, Boy, Run by Uri Orlev; Sang Spell by Phyllis Reynolds Taylor; Saturnalia by Paul Fleishman; Sign of the Chrysanthemum by Katherine Paterson; Squire’s Tale by Gerald Morris
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Malicious Accusations
Big Mouth & Ugly Girl by Joyce Carol Oates; Legend of Buddy Bush by Shelia Moses; Rundown by Michael Cadnum
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Orphans
Apprenticeship of Lucas Whitaker by Cynthia De Felice; Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer; Dangerous Promise by Joan Lowery Nixon; Heaven Eyes by David Almond; Lorenzo’s Secret Mission by Lila Guzman; Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli; Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff; Pirate’s Son by Geraldine McCaughrean; Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech; Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman; Single Shard by Linda Sue Park; Squire’s Tale by Gerald Morris; Zazoo by Richard Mosher
Classroom Connections
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Use this book as a springboard to studies of feudal times. Avi’s descriptions of 14th century England are very accurate. Have students research facts about feudal life.
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Crispin does not know who he is at the beginning of the story. Have students discuss or write about how it would feel to not know who you are.
Web Links
http://www.webenglishteacher.com/avi.html
This 20-page Teacher's Guide includes extensive historical background information, a thorough plot summary, discussion questions, activities, an interview with Avi, related books and related Web sites.
http://www.litplans.com/author1.htm?a=Avi
Contains site to Teacher Study guides.
Author Avi’s Web Site http://www.avi-writer.com/
Includes material about Avi and his books, as well as information for teachers.
Hyperion Books for Children http://www.hyperionbooksforchildren.com/data/books/tgpdf/07868264791291.pdf
Printable teachers’ guide – PDF.
Suzy Red http://suzyred.com/2004crispin.html
Site includes lots of helpful research links relating to setting. Also has historical information, related music and videos, and book connections.
Tomato Tree http://www.tomatotreedesigns.com/teacher/novels/crispin/crispin.html
Site Allows Students to take a comprehension quiz.
Submitted by Susan Gerhart, Young Adult Coordinator, Calcasieu Parish Public Library
