Crossley-Holland, Kevin Crossing to Paradise, 400 p. Scholastic, September 2008.
MS - OPTIONAL
Gatty expects to finish her life as an uneducated village girl, barely scraping out a living for herself. Her family is all dead and her best friend, Arthur is earning a name for himself off on Crusade; he is destined to marry a local lord's daughter upon his return. First her lord wants to give her to the church, but they want too much "dowry". Then her lady finds that her cousin to the north is setting off on pilgrimage and needs a second handmaiden. Thus begins Gatty's long journey across the sea, across Europe and into the Holy Land. Every member of the group will be beset with hardships, one of them mortal. Gatty will have to find her own strength and courage, as she may have to continue her journey alone.
As beautifully as this book is written, I can't see students reading it and then telling their friends about it. Instead, it is one of those books that adults will love for students - and hopefully quite a few teachers around the country will adopt it as a text - it would be perfect for religion, European history, or just for a 7,8 or 9th grade Language Arts class. For libraries, however, it is best in a larger collection.
Cindy, Library-Teacher.
MS - OPTIONAL
Gatty expects to finish her life as an uneducated village girl, barely scraping out a living for herself. Her family is all dead and her best friend, Arthur is earning a name for himself off on Crusade; he is destined to marry a local lord's daughter upon his return. First her lord wants to give her to the church, but they want too much "dowry". Then her lady finds that her cousin to the north is setting off on pilgrimage and needs a second handmaiden. Thus begins Gatty's long journey across the sea, across Europe and into the Holy Land. Every member of the group will be beset with hardships, one of them mortal. Gatty will have to find her own strength and courage, as she may have to continue her journey alone.
As beautifully as this book is written, I can't see students reading it and then telling their friends about it. Instead, it is one of those books that adults will love for students - and hopefully quite a few teachers around the country will adopt it as a text - it would be perfect for religion, European history, or just for a 7,8 or 9th grade Language Arts class. For libraries, however, it is best in a larger collection.
Cindy, Library-Teacher.
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