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Rating: 
Summary: Crispin
Review:
The book I will be writing about is called Crispin the Cross of Lead. The author of this book is named Avi. He has written many books before. Some are Nothing but the Truth and Good dog. This book Crispin is a very violent book.
Crispin was originally called "Asta's son." Crispin's father passed away from the Great Plague. His mother died the same way 13 years later. However Crispin's father died before he was born. Later the steward found that money had been stolen from a manor in their village. The people blamed it all on Crispin. The steward declared him as a wolf head that meant anyone could kill him. Crispin ran away from the village. Along the way Crispin ran into a man that could help him. With that Crispin had to become the man's servant.
The characters are somewhat gross and violent. The only good characters are Crispin, Crispin's mother, Bear, and the priest. These characters are very caring and Christian like. Some characters were nice, gross, and rude at the same time. Most of the characters are not in the story for long. They pass away; they get killed, or stay in the book till later. Anyway, when Crispen's father passed away everything went downhill. Crispen and his mother became hungry and poor.
The words in this book are somewhat hard to understand, the vocabulary has challenged me. I had to take many notes so I could look up words and fully understand them. The book challenged me with new vocabulary but it did not interrupt me from understanding the main points. Looking up the words helped me fully understand what was happening. The vocabulary has taught me many new words that I can use in the future.
I would recommend this book because of the storyline. Also because of how challenging it was. When reading this book you have to understand the vocabulary and be mature enough to handle the violence. The book includes many scenes with violence such as death, and emotional parts that may make you want to cry. At first the story starts out boring and slow. The book gradually becomes better around chapter three. The book provides you will experience the joyful ending.
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Summary: Valley View Book Club Review by Darla, Jordan & Maccaelaa
Review: A 13-year-old boy, known only as "Asta's son, finds out after his mother's death that she was keeping secrets from him. The clue to the secret is written on the lead cross she left him, but he can't read the words. Before his friend, the priest, can tell him anything more than the fact that his real name is Crispin, something awful happens, and the boy is blamed. Crispin is then declared a "wolf's head" - meaning he can be shot on sight. When he runs for his life, he meets a juggler who claims him as a servant. This man plays an important part in Crispin's quest to find freedom and to find out who he really is.Avi's historically accurate and vivid descriptions, use of language, and sense of suspense place the reader in the year 1377 and cause him to hear and feel all the sights and sounds of a culture plagued by the "black death" and steeped in religion and the Feudal system. Avi manages to build anticipation in such a way that he makes this book a page turner. Even though the book has a hint of violence, we recommend it for grades 4 and above.
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Summary: A medieval adventure
Review: From the first page, your attention is grasped by the situation Crispin finds himself in after his mother's death. Anyone familiar with Avi's writing will appreciate his clear dialogue and description of the action, which at times moves fast. The Middle Ages come alive for the reader and for those learning about serfs and castles in social studies will have a good reference of what it was like to be a 13-year-old boy on his own in the world. The ending is great, as it does not diminish the journey that Crispin has gone through to achieve his right to be his own man in the end. This book is perfect for the 10-13 year-old boy, when reading this book with the Seventh graders at school I had an immediate wait list for the books. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who would like to get a little taste of the Dark Ages.
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Summary: Another Avi must have!
Review: I began reading books by Avi in junior high with Nothing But the Truth. You just never know what you're going to get when you read a novel by him. Not every book by Avi is the greatest, you must pick and choose. This is one to choose! The introduction leaves you wondering where this is all going, and when it's all done I was left wondering what would happen next. That would be my only complaint, I wanted to know more. The story ended feeling a little unfinished. Overall a great story.
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Summary: Crispin; Cross of Lead
Review: I teach reading to Jr. High students, and they loved this book. The girls loved it, the boys loved it, and I loved it. It is full of great characters and has a wonderful moral. It is very nice to see a story like this one. It does not sacrifice plot in order to speak to a younger audience. I am an adult, and I have read for years and years of my life. I, honestly, enjoyed it as much as my kids did. I probably liked it even more because they were so in love with the story. It makes teaching so much more fun when your students like what they are doing. I recommend it highly to young and old alike. P.S. The story is historically accurate and the setting is prefectly rendered. It is a history lesson as well.
Rating: 
Summary: crispin
Review: The beginning started off slow and boring. Then little by little it got better and better. When Crispin finds out Cerdic lead him into the trap is when the book started to get better. Next Crispin starts is wandering away. Then Crispin finds Bear. Bear was scary in the beginning and nice, father like towards the rest of the book. it starts to get boring until Bear teaches Crispin to play the recorder and performs in the first town. The best part is when they enter Great Wexly. Read the book to find out the rest. The book over all has a good concept. p.s.- The boring parts don't last very long.
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Summary: Surviving in Medieval England: Crispin, The Cross of Lead
Review: The book Crispin, The Cross of Lead can be defined as a "good book" due to the high literary merit used by Avi. In the book, Avi presents the developed theme of survival. A thirteen-year-old boy, who never knew his father, is alone in the world when his mother dies. All he really knew about himself and his past was that everyone called him Asta's son. He is proclaimed a "wolf's head" and must escape the place he's only ever known and find a way to endure. Before he leaves though, Asta's son discovers his real name is actually Crispin. Through his journey, he meets a man named Bear, and he must also learn to survive as his servant. Both the characters and setting are portrayed in such a way that is realistic for the time period they are representing. The vocabulary Avi utilizes describes how fourteenth century England really existed, especially with the social aspects of the period. Avi's pacing and style of the book is appropriate for the content also. Due to the fact that the book is set during Medieval England, most of the book seems to have a slow steady pace to it, especially when Crispin is walking through the forest. As the story grows with more action the pace quickens for the reader, especially where Crispin becomes stuck in some interesting situations, such as when Crispin is running away from his steward, John Aycliffe, in order to stay alive. Even the dialogue offers insight into the characters and their points of view. For example, Bear at the one point in the story gives Crispin the "freedom to choose" if he will join Bear or not on his journey. All Crispin can say is that he has no choice to decide because Bear is his master. Bear says, "Should not every man be master of himself?" Crispin responded with, "You made me call you master," and so Bear chose for him once again. As the plot thickens however, the reader is always wondering what the outcome will be and try to answer the two main dramatic questions of the story--Will Crispin survive in this harsh era? If so, will he ever find out about his past?
Crispin, The Cross of Lead is an excellent book for grades 4 through 7. Children who appreciate history, especially Medieval England, and value religion would find this book to be extremely enjoyable. Teachers who would like to use this book in their classroom should consider doing a thematic unit on Medieval England. One idea would be that the students could learn about the time period and make food and play games from the 1300's. Another thought would be that the teacher could incorporate math by teaching the students about a number line and have them make time line about Medieval England. The teacher could also teach the students about how the world was different back then in order to integrate science. For the summative assessment, the students could put together a Medieval fair in their classroom or for even the whole school and write an article for their school newspaper about the fair. Also, in a parochial school, teachers could incorporate this book into a theology lesson, especially because of the characters moral beliefs.
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Summary: Medieval Life Made Real
Review: The story plot is good, but what I like best about this book is its absolutely captivating description of life in medieval England. Would definitely recommend it if you are looking for an interesting and realistic book to introduce your child(ren) to medieval lifestyles.
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Summary: Lead Indeed
Review: There must have been scant competition for the Newberry Prize the year this unsatisfying youth novel received the honor. Set in medieval England, this tale of an orphan on the run for his life may offer the occasional thrill, but I could see every plot twist coming a mile off. In fact, the climax's "surprising" revelation regarding the title character's identity will be guessed by all but the very slowest child before reaching page 20. Even the title is terrible. Crispin would have been ok, if dull and unrevealing. "The Cross of Lead" would have been better, since the cross is the key to the plot. But "Crispin: The Cross of Lead"? A title like that should stand as a warning. After all, there's nothing like a book narrated by a medieval character who can neither read nor write, but manages to scratch out a story in perfect, if simple, 21st century prose.
Avi has written very good books for this age-group in the past, as well as several that match this one missed-note for missed-note. I suggest you try one of his other titles- perhaps "Beyond the Western Sea." This is very sloppy storytelling from a writer capable of much better.
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