The Inquisitor's Tale

Starred review from July 11, 2016
In 1242 France, weary travelers at an inn trade stories about three miraculous children and their dog, Gwenforte, who has returned from the dead. The children—Jeanne, a peasant girl who has visions of the future; William, an oblate of partial African heritage with uncanny strength; and Jacob, a Jewish boy with the power to heal the sick and injured—are the subject of much rumor and debate. Are they saints, frauds, or in league with the devil? Gidwitz (the Grimm trilogy) continues to toy with narrative in a well-researched and rambunctiously entertaining story that has as much to say about the present as it does the past. Evoking the oral storytelling traditions of the time, multiple characters including a nun, troubadour, and brewer alternately describe their encounters with the children to produce the whole story. Amid mugs upon mugs of ale, the tale that comes into focus is one of religious persecution and faith, friendships that transcend difference, and a dangerously flatulent dragon—Gidwitz continues to have no problem mixing high and low. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 10–up. Author’s agent: Sarah Burnes, Gernert Company.

Starred review from July 15, 2016
Gidwitz strikes literary gold with this mirthful and compulsively readable adventure story set in medieval France.In a style reminiscent of The Canterbury Tales, this multiple-narrator fairy tale relates the adventures of Jeanne, a white Christian peasant girl who has prophetic visions; biracial white/black William, a Muslim-born monk-in-training with preternatural strength; and Jacob, a Jewish boy with incredible healing powers. While some townspeople hail them as saints for their gifts, other, narrow-minded Christians drive the children from their homes on a journey that takes them from the church of Saint Denis to a confrontation with Louis IX and his mother in Paris. While the three protagonists initially come together out of necessity, the heartwarming friendship they form celebrates a common humanity that transcends the bounds of race, religion, and social class. The author creates a richly designed medieval world, filled with imperious knights, farting dragons, foreboding forests, and soulless fiends, in which nothing is as it seems, including the tellers of the tales. As the story grows darker and more intricate, the dubious cast of narrators lends greater complexity to the sequence of events, forcing readers to question everything that they believe regarding each character's exploits. Gidwitz's lighthearted touch nonetheless provides for insightful commentary on the dangers of narrow-mindedness and zealotry that will resonate with modern readers. A masterpiece of storytelling that is addictive and engrossing. (Fantasy. 11 & up)

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Starred review from August 1, 2016

Gr 5-10-What is a miracle? Is a miracle what happens when, faced with murderous bandits, a teenage monk rips a leg off his donkey, beats them to death with it, then restores the donkey's leg? Or is it a miracle when a cranky innkeeper is so moved by a little girl's friendliness that he risks his life to help her and her companions flee a posse of armed knights? Maybe the real miracle happens when readers attracted to the action and violence a particular author is known for find themselves strongly invested in the moral questions that plague bandit-killing monk and friendly peasant girl alike-along with every other character they encounter, from a young minstrel/pickpocket to Louis IX. Gidwitz's tale of medieval France successfully combines the epic with the personal, aiming for that heart-stopping moment when characters readers have come to care about find themselves on a collision course with one of the great wood chippers of history-the Inquisition, agents of which are in hot pursuit of three underdog characters (and one actual dog) from the very start. It is left to the titular Inquisitor to discover the truth behind the legends that quickly rise to surround these kids. He nudges it from each of the travelers at a roadside inn, the narrative tension rising as each facet is revealed. VERDICT This book appeals to the heart, to the mind, and to any reader's appetite for action: read it for the thrilling escapes, the fart jokes, the stinky cheese, and the palace intrigue. Read it for the Talmudic wisdom, commonsense philosophies, and moments of doubt. Read it for the palaces and monasteries and the unbelievable descriptions of food. But read it.-Paula Willey, Baltimore County Public Library, Towson

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

snicker9 - This story is about three children and one dog who have the adventure of a lifetime. Jenna is just a regular pheasant girl-until she starts having visions of the future. After she protects her Gwen, the dog and also a saint, who happened to come back to life after years of death, she is put on the wanted list and goes on the run. Jacob is a Jewish boy who can heal any wound. After some teen thugs set fire onto the Jewish part of town, he goes to try and finding his parents. William is a dark and very large young monk, who has supernatural strength. He sets off to deliver a set of books to another monastery after he is kicked out of his own. When the children meet they join forces, and set off on an incredible adventure, full of danger, nobility, and conflict. This was a very interesting medieval tale. There were so many little details about life during that time period, you could tell the author researched a lot. I also liked that there were relatable problems in the book, even though they were in a different century. Problems dealing with race, prejudice, and religion were throughout the book. I have never read a book like this before. Each chapter was told by a different narrator, and it was told in the sense that the storytellers were at a pub, just sitting around, telling their part. Sometimes it was confusing, if you didn’t pay attention the the title you didn’t know who was speaking. For some people I am sure that it would be pure frustration and they would give up almost immediately. Somehow for me though, it worked. I liked knowing the story from different points of view, and for most of the book they are telling it after it has already happened. I also thought the illustrations were cool. The way the book was formatted was that there were larger margins, and all the drawings were stretched along side the words. Sometimes the pictures made sense, or like the illustrator warns us at the beginning they are random, and are like a doodle book. I recommend this book to older elementary students and middle school students, especially those who enjoy reading about medieval culture. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Starred review from August 1, 2016
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* Gidwitz leaves the fairy-tale realm of his Grimm trilogy behind and plunges into medieval France to tell the incredible story of three gifted children, a holy greyhound, and the people whose lives they touch. It is a time of miracles and saints, of fiends and dragons, all of which Gidwitz has meticulously teased from legends and histories of the Middle Ages. The story is relayed in the style of The Canterbury Tales, as travelers gathered at an inn share what they know of the children: Jeanne, a peasant girl with visions of the future; William, an African oblate with incredible strength; Jacob, a Jewish boy with healing powers; not to mention Gwenforte, their guardian greyhound. Religion lies at the book's heart, as Jewish and Christian beliefs come into conflict and the children's potential for sainthood is debated. It also triggers an act of defiance against the king that makes the miraculous threesome the most wanted people in France. Ten different narrators lend their voices to the taleincluding a brewster, nun, butcher, librarian, and troubadourwhile drinking a fair amount of ale, resulting in a boisterous, conversational tone. Gidwitz proves himself a nimble storyteller as he weaves history, excitement, and multiple narrative threads into a taut, inspired adventure. Though final artwork was unseen, the book will be fittingly illuminated with illustrations and marginalia. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The work put into the physical book should tell you the publisher's belief in best-seller Gidwitz's latest. Also: the national tour, the floor display, and all that.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)