Crispin, The Cross of Lead, published by Hyperion, Copyright 2002.
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, published by Harper Trophy, Copyright 1990.
Nothing but the Truth, published by Harper Trophy, Copyright 1991
Crispin, The Cross of Lead won the Newbery Medal, along with various other awards and accolades. I enjoyed it for two reasons. One, it was a novel included on my list by Deborah Halverson to teach me about voice, and the second reason being it was on my list to read every Newbery book awarded—a lofty goal, to which I’ll be working on till I die.
Because it is set in 1377 A.D. England, I purchased thirty-five copies for my daughter’s 7th grade English class. Her teacher was attempting to match his reading selections to the history curriculum, since the students were studying the medieval period, this book along with most of Karen Cushman’s books would be a logical choice to add a little historical fiction to their studies.
Unfortunately, the books the teacher chose were, The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pile, which was dropped after the second chapter because the students couldn't understand the colloquialism of old English, and a book by Susan Cooper titled King of Shadows. Although my daughter thoroughly enjoyed the story of a modern day theater student, being transported though time to perform in a Shakespearean play, I don’t think it would have touched on the historical aspects the way Avi’s book does.
Here is a summary of Avi's Crispin, Cross of Lead: After his mother’s death, thirteen-year-old Christian is forced to flee his home to avoid being murdered. It is through his adventure to stay alive that he finds out who is really is.
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The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle won Avi a Newbery Honor. For me, the voice of the main character stood out and demanded my attention more that Crispin, although I loved each one equally. It is the story about well-to-do family from Rhode Island who sends their daughter Charlotte, a thirteen-year- old girl to boarding school in England in the year 1832.It is on her way back to America when her adventure begins.
Many agents and editors bring their favorite books to conference and read the first paragraph to show how important voice is. This is one of the books I would use to prove my point. Here is the first few lines: “Not every thirteen-year-old girl is accused of murder, brought to trial, and found guilty. But I was just such a girl, and my story is worth relating even if it did happen years ago.”
Now, go buy this book and follow her adventure.
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Another important book which any high school teacher would find relevant is Nothing but the Truth. This book was yet another Newbery Honor for this incredible author, and it deserves its own review, so please read the next blog to explore its importance in today’s school system.
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Aside from these books, Avi has written many, many others. Another book I appreciated was The Fighting Ground, published by Harper Trophy, Copyright 1984. It is the story is about a thirteen-year-old boy who chooses to run away from home during the Revolutionary war.
As in most children’s books, adventures usually span a certain period in time. For Harry Potter, each stand alone book covers a school year. Other books cover a semester, or a summer. The Fighting Ground was the first book I've read where the adventure occurs within a twenty-four hour period, (A more recent book which covers a twenty-four hour period is 13 Reason's Why by Jay Asher. It is a serious subject YA book which I will give my thoughts in a separate review.)
In The Fighting Ground, Avi also sets an example of how to incorporate foreign speaking dialogue into a novel. Instead of writing the German word followed by the English translation directly after with commas, Avi puts his translation as an addition in the back of the book. I think this added to the confusion the main character experienced at not understanding what the German soldiers were saying along with the reader.
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