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“Still grieving for the fatherly protector they call Bear, Crispin and his friend Troth wander northward through the fourteenth-century French countryside in rags, begging for food and hoping to arrive in Iceland. They arrive at a convent where the nuns value Troth’s skill with healing herbs, and she decides to stay. Alone and near starvation, Crispin joins a troupe of traveling musicians who prove to be a band of murderous thieves. Discovering their plot against him strengthens Crispin’s determination to escape, to free their servant boy, and to make his way to Iceland. Crispin’s physical and emotional suffering magnified by the story’s almost unremitting tension, make this one of the less-romanticized medieval novels written for young people. Though the publisher states that the trilogy beginning with the Newbery-winning Crispin: The Cross of Lead (2002) ends here, the conclusion, which holds the promise of more adventures for Crispin, may not satisfy fans. Still, with necessary elements from the previous books related quickly, even readers new to the series will find this a compelling, first-person narrative.”

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