Crispin: At the Edge of the World

"Blessed Saint Giles, it's hard to be a man!" CRISPIN: AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD follows sequel on the heels of its predecessor CRISPIN: THE CROSS OF LEAD, winner of the 2003 Newbery Award, New York Times bestseller, and Avi's 50th book. While certainly readable as a standalone novel, the sequel picks up right where the first one left off, without missing a beat. Set near the death of King Edward and the 100 Years War with France, Crispin and Bear have just escaped the gates of Great Wexly, Britain, the city where they were almost killed. Bear, a red-bearded, hat-jangling juggler and Crispin's makeshift father, has for years served as a spy for John Ball's rebel brotherhood. That life, though, is no more. His cover is blown, his alliances shot to pieces, and he is on the run for his life. Crispin, too, has problems of his own. Formerly hunted as a Wolf's Head, he has discovered his illegitimate sonship to Lord Furnival, a knight of the realm, and relinquished his rights to that sonship just as quickly in hopes of saving Bear's life. Now, they fear their ransomed freedom won't last them long at all. So they run. Their flight leads them into the hands of unknowing rebels, the deep forest and strange religious worship, the frightful road to the South and freedom, the harrowing leftovers of war-ravaged cities, the dangers of the open sea, and whatever lies in wait at the edge of the world. Their flight crosses paths with an outcast girl named Troth, who was born with a disfigured face and the reputation that came with it. She has been called evil, cursed, and worse, and longs for the time she won't have to cover her face with her hair. She hopes that Bear's words hold truth, that "Perhaps men who've seen a bigger world have bigger hearts." Crispin's pursuit of manhood, Bear's search for absolution, and Troth's want of acceptance lie firmly at the thematic center of this novel, with the three of them learning what love and family might mean, even in the strangest of circumstances. CRISPIN: AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD is an adventurous tale of flight and pursuit of spiritual forgiveness. The story is wholly entertaining, and Avi's wordcraft is again top-notch. With its cinematic and vivid English countryside, from the dark forests to the vast ocean and towering cliffs, this story leaves us hoping that we just might find Avi someday writing another sequel. --- Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens

This was an excellent sequel to the book "Crispin: the Cross of Lead". It kept my interest and moved along from event to event so that I could not put it down. It left me wanting to read the third book in the trilogy.

I read this after my son read it. We both really engoyed it. We also read The Cross of Lead before this and enjoyed that as well. They are both books that will stick with us. We are anxious for the third book to come out.

"What kind of men -- I wondered -- were these that killed by day, drank by night, but prayed each morning?" If you have yet to read CRISPIN: THE CROSS OF LEAD, then I urge you to stop reading this review of the second book (in what will hopefully become a CRISPIN trilogy), and immediately buy, borrow, or steal a copy of the first book. And if you have already read CRISPIN: THE CROSS OF LEAD, you are in for a wonderful surprise: the second CRISPIN book is even more powerful and moving than the first. In fact, Avi could have chosen to write a safe and forgettable sequel to his 2003 Newbery Medal-winner, CRISPIN: THE CROSS OF LEAD. Regardless of such a sequel's significance, or lack thereof, school and public librarians everywhere would add to their collections an author's follow-up to a Newbery Medal-winning tale. But rather than taking that path of least resistance, Avi has, instead, crafted a breathtaking and oft-brutal medieval adventure story that is underlain with some subtle-yet-biting satire. The result is a sequel that could well stand on its own as the most exciting and thought-provoking book of Avi's long and celebrated career. "It was a June morning when Bear and I passed beyond Great Wexly's walls and left the crowded and treacherous city behind. The June sun was warm, the sky above as blue as my Blessed Lady's spotless robe; our triumphant sense of liberty kept me giddy with joy. Hardly able to contain myself, I more than once cried out, 'My name is Crispin!' for all the world to hear." With a seamless transition from the first book, CRISPIN: AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD picks up the harrowing adventures of Crispin and Bear exactly where and when the first book left off. It is still 1377, amidst the era of the Hundred Years War, and the pair are trying to leave Great Wexly behind. At the conclusion of the first book, Crispin has completed the deal with the evil John Aycliffe in which Crispin agrees to leave town and forgo any claim to his newly-found heritage as Lord Furnival's son in exchange for Aycliffe's ordering Bear released from prison. Bear, who had been incarcerated as a suspected member of John Ball's secret brotherhood (a group which seeks to win personal liberties for the people), is finally free but greatly weakened from his time in prison followed by the violent finale with the double-crossing Aycliffe. Further ill-fortune awaits the pair at the onset of the second book. A number of other brotherhood members have just been inexplicably arrested and, so, when a brotherhood member recognizes Bear, realizes he is no longer in prison, and wrongly concludes that the bearded giant of a man has provided the authorities with names in exchange for saving his own skin, he seriously wounds the fleeing Bear and causes initiation of the manhunt (Bearhunt?) that will cast a long shadow over the duo throughout the second book. And then there were three: It is as a result of the pair's crossing paths in the middle of the for

Noted children's author Avi spins a fine yarn in this captivating sequel to his Newbery Medal-winning "Crispin: The Cross of Lead." From a nameless youth who had never left the boundaries of his tiny village, Crispin is forced to grow up fast when his mother dies and he is falsely accused of crimes. On the run and desperate, he links up with a kindly, rough-hewn juggler named Bear who becomes the father he never knew. As Hagrid is to Harry Potter, so Bear is to Crispin as he takes him under his wing. Bear rescues Crispin from many harrowing scrapes until Bear's critical wounding necessitates a role-reversal by his young charge. Avi's sequel has Crispin and Bear departing the intrigue and treachery of Great Wexly and heading north on rough paths to escape further trouble. Their respite is short-lived. After they rest a while with a midwife and her young apprentice, they flee once again when the midwife is murdered. Enter Troth, the young apprentice, whom they take with them. This marks the beginning of a transition, from Bear to Troth, as well as a rite of passage, from Crispin the dependent to Crispin the man. Bear continues with them, but his strength is waning and his days are numbered. They reach the coastal town of Rye for another breather, but are forced to escape by boat when Bear's pursuers catch up with them. For both Crispin and Troth, this marks their first time on the ocean and their first time away from England. They wind up in Brittany, France, where their unguided boat runs aground after a fierce storm claims the crew. For Crispin and Troth, this is like going to the edge of the world. The three continue their trek, but they are quickly taken prisoner by marauding soldiers. "Crispin: At the Edge of the World" is an excellent book that leaves the reader hungry for what is to be the third installment of a trilogy. It is best to read the two "Crispin" books in order, but one can manage by starting with the sequel. The only criticism I have is very minor. At times Avi includes longer words (e.g., "emblazoned with embellishments" in the first book, "exuberance" and "incomprehensibly" in the second) that seem a little out of place for an illiterate peasant boy narrator and a youthful audience. Otherwise, both "Crispin" books are easy to digest, leaving one with a good aftertaste and an appetite for more. Rev. Dennis J. Mercieri