The Cross of Lead
By Avi
New York: Hyperion
Books for Children
2002
ISBN 0786826479
Ages 9-12
pages had passed. The story is set in England in the
1300's. The main character had just entered his teens and
is only known as Asta's son for the first third of the book. He and his mother are common peasants, and the story
begins with his mother's death. On top of his grief, he is
accused of stealing and finds that he has a price on his
head. When his only friend in the world, the village priest, turns up murdered, Asta's son is blamed for that, too, and is declared a "wolf's head," which means anyone can kill
him and collect a bounty.
Before the priest's demise, he gave Asta's son a lead cross which had belonged to his mother and was the key to his
true identity. The priest also told him he was christened
Crispin. He never knew he even had a name before that.
Thus begins a dangerous journey for Crispin to find out
who he is, and he is hunted every step of the way. In an
abandoned village, he meets the book's most interesting
character, Bear, who makes Crispin promise to serve him
as master in exchange for food. Bear ends up being the
best thing that ever happened to Crispin. He teaches him
jester's skills and the concept of freedom, which was
foreign to anything Crispin had ever known. Their
friendship, love and loyalty grow and are tested at every
turn, especially at the end of the story. I admire Crispin's
faith and character traits of honesty and loyalty,
especially to his friend.
Avi is a master story-teller, and it's clear to me why this
book won the Newberry Award in 2003. His understanding
of medieval times is evident in his writing, and the
manner of speaking and descriptions of the settings
placed me beside Crispin in the 14th century in England.
The pictures he painted in my mind weren't of a clean,
beautiful Disney cottage or castle, or pristine clothes, or
even a lovely day in the country. It was dirty, brutal,
mucky, and hard.
The ending was abrupt, though, and left me with wanting
more. Too many unanswered questions makes me think
and hope there is a sequel on its way.