Why am I passionate about this?
All my life Iāve been pushing against limits. Being the oldest of five children born to a farm couple who became mill workers, I was frequently reminded by family that āpeople like usā did not need much education, didnāt get the good jobs, and shouldnāt ārise above themselves.ā Being a girl, I had additional limits. Naturally, when I learned to read, I was drawn to books in which characters broke through unfair restraints to have adventures and accomplish great deeds. I wanted to be one of those people. By the time I came of age, I knew I had a shot at becoming the heroine of my own story!
Faye's book list on coming-of-age for almost any age
Why did Faye love this book?
Crispin is a young serf in Medieval England--an orphan despised by everyone for reasons he does not understand. Though I never had problems as dire as Crispin faced, I frequently felt mistreated as a child, and like him, the forest was my comfort and refuge. Like him, I had a lively curiosity about the lives of others and many times learned important lessons through observation. I shared Crispin's tendency to hero worship those who befriended me, and like him, I generally chose my role models well.
2 authors picked The Cross of Lead as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.
Newbery Medal winner The Cross of Lead is "a page-turner from beginning to end... full of adventure, mystery, and action" (School Library Journal).
Sometimes I ran, sometimes all I could do was walk. All I knew was that if the steward overtook me, Iād not survive for long....
Crispin is a poor thirteen-year-old peasant in medieval England. Accused of a crime he did not commit, he has been declared a "wolfās head," meaning he may be killed on sight, by anyone. He flees his tiny village with nothing but his motherās cross of lead.
In the English countryside, Crispin meetsā¦