Crispin, at the Edge of the World

Noted children's author Avi spins a fine yarn in this captivating sequel to his Newbery Medal-winning "Crispin: The Cross of Lead." From a nameless youth who had never left the boundaries of his tiny village, Crispin is forced to grow up fast when his mother dies and he is falsely accused of crimes. On the run and desperate, he links up with a kindly, rough-hewn juggler named Bear who becomes the father he never knew. As Hagrid is to Harry Potter, so Bear is to Crispin as he takes him under his wing. Bear rescues Crispin from many harrowing scrapes until Bear's critical wounding necessitates a role-reversal by his young charge.Avi's sequel has Crispin and Bear departing the intrigue and treachery of Great Wexly and heading north on rough paths to escape further trouble. Their respite is short-lived. After they rest a while with a midwife and her young apprentice, they flee once again when the midwife is murdered. Enter Troth, the young apprentice, whom they take with them. This marks the beginning of a transition, from Bear to Troth, as well as a rite of passage, from Crispin the dependent to Crispin the man. Bear continues with them, but his strength is waning and his days are numbered.They reach the coastal town of Rye for another breather, but are forced to escape by boat when Bear's pursuers catch up with them. For both Crispin and Troth, this marks their first time on the ocean and their first time away from England. They wind up in Brittany, France, where their unguided boat runs aground after a fierce storm claims the crew. For Crispin and Troth, this is like going to the edge of the world. The three continue their trek, but they are quickly taken prisoner by marauding soldiers."Crispin: At the Edge of the World" is an excellent book that leaves the reader hungry for what is to be the third installment of a trilogy. It is best to read the two "Crispin" books in order, but one can manage by starting with the sequel. The only criticism I have is very minor. At times Avi includes longer words (e.g., "emblazoned with embellishments" in the first book, "exuberance" and "incomprehensibly" in the second) that seem a little out of place for an illiterate peasant boy narrator and a youthful audience. Otherwise, both "Crispin" books are easy to digest, leaving one with a good aftertaste and an appetite for more. Fr. Dennis Mercieri

I have read all the crispin series, and some how managed to read them in their order.I couldnt put it down, there was excitement and intrigue around every portion of every chapter.The end of this book was unexpected, yet educational.I will read this book again and again.I would recommend it to anybody interested in a mental journey, where the locations paint themselves in the mind.

What I liked most about this book was the characters Avi created: Crispin, Bear, and Toth. And the setting: I love the way Avi brought the 14th century to life, with customs, speech, clothing, food. In many ways reading this book was like living in that time period. Also, I liked the serious subjects (war, religion, community, justice) that Avi wove through the book.But I did feel that there was something manipulative about the plot: the brotherhood seemed so modern that I was jarred into the present world each time I read about it. This part of the book just seemed sensationalized to me. I do recommend this book, though: definitely worth reading.

Years ago, I read the COL as a class project. After I got a Kindle, I remembered it and bought this: the sequal.In Crispin:EOTW, the story progressively plays Bear sick with seemlessly no healing. In part of his cleaning, we meet Troth, who becomes the sister of the family, and setting up a family of misfits (The giant, the busted up face, and the orphan), the story sets some solid ground.Instead of taking the easy way out and setting up a everyone happy ending like the last book, AVI shocks the readers with an emotional twist ending which, even I as a reader, did not expect. I must admit, I almost cried. Bear was like my "Dumbledore". He executed a lovable indestructable kind character which, even though I hated it at first read, added a lot of emotion into the book.And if books like these didn't have that much emotion, they would be called textbooks.5 stars. Great job, AVI. I look forward to the sequal. ;)

Avi writes an interesting book. It is not on a par with Neil Gaiman's or Jenna black's books, but it is still a good read. This book is best read in his series of 3 Crispin books. I will send the last two books to my granddaughter, who has the cross of lead.

Avi is an amazing writer. He knows where to put words and when in a sentence. This sequel was just as good as the first. I'm very eager to get to read the next book.

Crispin 2 was overall pretty good. It was a bit more social than crispin 1, and it inst brought up that he is a wolfs head. it was also a kinda depressing, like the first, but was also a bit more light-hearted. The worst part was(* go to the * at the bottom of the page, for it is a MAJOR SPOILER!) Hope you read and enjoy!*You decided to look? OK, the worst part is that bear dies. Yup. He does.

If you don't know already, this is the sequel to Crispin The Cross of Lead. So if you have not read the first book I would not recommend reading this book. On the other hand this book is amazing and everyone who has read the first book should read this one. My opinion is that this book is better than the first one and you should definetly read it.