Crispin at the Edge of the World
Avi Cale McCoy 3-5 Period
Book Recommendation
The thing I liked about the book is that it never was boring. It was always action packed.Also it was in medieval times, and for me I love medieval times. With that said it is like there is always a fight going on, attacking villages, or killing animals for food. I also liked the characters, Bear, Crispin, Troth, and Aude. Crispin and Troth were not friends at first, but after they spent more time together they came to be good friends. Yet Bear and Crispin were the closest of all. I recommend this book to people who like medieval books and adventure.
Characters
Crispin (Protagonist): Crispin has brown hair, he is not very tall and he has brown eyes. His mom died when he was 14. He has a master called Bear. He doesn't have a lot of friends. Crispin is a christian. He played the recorder (picture left).
Troth (Supporting Character): Troth has brown hair. She has a disfigured mouth. She is friends with Crispin. Aude takes care of her. She doesn't talk that much. She is good friends with Crispin.
Richard Dudley (Antagonist): He is a mean solider that rode a horse and wore silver armor. He forced Bear, Crispin, and Troth to attack a church.
Theme
The more I came to know of the world, the more I knew I knew it not. The theme to me meant the more he learned about the past the more questions he had.
Setting
The setting is in England, A.D. 1377. The book had Crispin and Bear walk on dirt roads, go into the woods, and into small and big towns and villages. The setting affects Crispin and Bear, because they are always running away to hide in the woods a lot. So when that happens they have to set up traps for food and set up a fire for warmth and cooking. Crispin plays the recorder and Bear juggles to make money in the villages.
Conflict and Plot
The conflict of the story is that they are trying to find their freedom and escape Bear's enemies. The plot...The story starts out with Crispin and Bear leaving a village. They go to a inn and when they are leaving Bear gets shot by an arrow and they run into the woods and everyday Bear gets sicker and sicker. Crispin is forced to pull the arrow out. Bear and Crispin get taken with a girl and a old woman to try to heal Bear. The woman knows how to heal people. Crispin begins to wonder if the woman is a witch. As the days pass, Bear got better and better. Then one day a man comes to the woman (Aude) to ask for her help. His wife was having a baby and she and the child were in trouble. She did not save the woman or the baby so the towns people killed her. Crispin, Bear, and the girl (Troth) escaped the town. They make their way to a village by the sea. When they get there they met a lady that owns a tavern. She pays them to work for her, for food and shelter. While they were there Crispin made a friend. Crispin's friend took him out on the water. He was amazed of the sight of the land while on the boat. He began to think he might want to be a mariner one day. Crispin's friend told him three men had entered the town and were searching for a large man with red hair. So Crispin ran to the tavern to tell Bear there were men looking for him. They came up with a plan. There were two cogs in the harbor. They would try to escape on the cog that was leaving the harbor the soonest. The next morning they escaped the village. When on the water so long a storm came and the waves broke the boat into pieces and they washed onto the north side of England. While looking around they were caught group lead by Richard Dudley. He told them they had to attack a church, and when attacking the church Bear died. Crispin and Troth escaped to find freedom.