Newbery Medal (John Newbery Medal)
The Inquisitor's Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog
Set in medieval France, three children from different backgrounds and a miraculous dog are drawn into a tale of faith, friendship, and prejudice.
Work Information
Three children and a holy dog set off on a medieval adventure marked by wonder and conflict.
Through multiple narrators and a pilgrimage across medieval France, the novel explores miracle, belief, and exclusion.
Book Information
- Publisher
- Dutton Books for Young Readers
- Published
- 2016-09-27
- Pages
- 384 pages
- Language
- 英語
- Size
- 16 x 3 x 23.6 cm
- ISBN-13
- 9780525426165
- ISBN-10
- 0525426167
- Price
- 4404 JPY
- Category
- 洋書/Children's Books/Literature & Fiction/Historical Fiction/Medieval
A Newbery Honor Book Winner of the Sydney Taylor Book Award An exciting and hilarious medieval adventure from the bestselling author of A Tale Dark and Grimm . Beautifully illustrated throughout by Hatem Aly! “A profound and ambitious tour de force. Gidwitz is a masterful storyteller.” —Matt de la Peña, Newbery Medalist and New York Times bestselling author “What Gidwitz accomplishes here is staggering." — New York Times Book Review Includes a detailed historical note and bibliography 1242. On a dark night, travelers from across France cross paths at an inn and begin to tell stories of three children. Their adventures take them on a chase through France: they are taken captive by knights, sit alongside a king, and save the land from a farting dragon. On the run to escape prejudice and persecution and save precious and holy texts from being burned, their quest drives them forward to a final showdown at Mont Saint-Michel, where all will come to question if these children can perform the miracles of saints. Join William, an oblate on a mission from his monastery; Jacob, a Jewish boy who has fled his burning village; and Jeanne, a peasant girl who hides her prophetic visions. They are accompanied by Jeanne's loyal greyhound, Gwenforte . . . recently brought back from the dead. Told in multiple voices, in a style reminiscent of The Canterbury Tales , our narrator collects their stories and the saga of these three unlikely allies begins to come together. Beloved bestselling author Adam Gidwitz makes his long awaited return with his first new world since his hilarious and critically acclaimed Grimm series. Featuring manuscript illuminations throughout by illustrator Hatem Aly and filled with Adam’s trademark style and humor, The Inquisitor's Tale is bold storytelling that’s richly researched and adventure-packed.
Adam Gidwitz is the author of the critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling Grimm trilogy. He spent six years researching and writing The Inquisitor’s Tale , including a year living in Europe. Adam lives with his family in Brooklyn, NY. Find Adam online at adamgidwitz.com or @AdamGidwitz. Hatem Aly is an Egyptian-born illustrator whose work has been featured on television and in multiple publications worldwide. He currentlylives in New Brunswick, Canada, with his wife, son, and more pets than people. Find him online at metahatem.com or @metahatem.
Reviews
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Excellent saga!
Excellente histoire pour jeunes ados mais cette grand-mère l'a adoré aussi! Un peu compliqué au début mais une fois dedans, il vaut le coup de continuer.
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Never Saw it Coming
This little book took me completely by surprise. The Inquisitor's Tale is the story of three children and a resurrected white greyhound who traipse around medieval France hunted by knights, royalty, and a "red, fat, and wicked" monk named Michelangelo. As you may have suspected by now, these are no ordinary children. Jacob, a young Jewish boy, is able to heal the sick or wounded. William, a giant young half-Saracen child, is able to defeat enemies with his great strength. Jeanne, a peasant girl, has visions of the future, one of which includes the resurrection of her beloved greyhound. How the children all confront danger, find one another, and unite in a common quest is a tale told in turns by several different guests at an inn. It is the mysterious Inquisitor who teases out the story from the nun, troubadour, innkeeper, butcher, and others. Medieval France is described in exquisite but not overdone detail, down to the aroma of the delicious soup the children eat at the rabbi's house and breathtaking symmetry of the stones of Notre Dame Cathedral. The true identity of the Inquisitor and the appearance of very smelly cheese and a particularly colorful dragon round out a story full of unexpected moves. Finally, the climax on the causeway to the legendary Mont St. Michel is a visually unforgettable word picture. This young adult novel utterly astonished me. Not only did it incorporate a great plot with extremely unique characters and just the right amount of period detail, it also had an unexpected section that blended seamlessly with the narrative, in which the Problem of Evil was literally solved by a drunken monk! It was extraordinary! And surprising. And subtle. It wasn't an enormous theological treatise with ten proofs and sixteen counter-arguments, but it was simple, clear, and compelling. In a YA novel about three misfit children and a resurrected dog! What would Keats and Aristotle say? The pacing of this novel was excellent. The subject matter was deep and profound without being didactic or losing its considerable sense of humor. Greatness of both content and execution, and even touches of social commentary on the ills and joys of life during the Middle Ages. Utterly unique!
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Excellent
What a fascinating book! I'm amazed that there aren't more reviews! An interesting insight into the middle ages, a gripping story and a downright funny tale - all rolled into one. Read it!
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Great
Will always be captivated by this book and the small illustrations
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Funny yet philosophical
Wow! Although I normally avoid any novels with religious topics, I was amazed to find that I loved this book. THE INQUISITOR'S TALE is certainly one of the best books I read this year. (It came out in 2016 and deservedly won the Newbery Honor.) Gidwitz managed to make this medieval story, based on snippets of actual history, into a fast-paced and funny tour de force that echoes the framework of Chaucer's CANTERBURY TALES. But middle-grade readers won't care about that. They will like it because it's a funny yet philosophical look at religious prejudice that is, unfortunately, as relevant today as it was in the 1200s. I highly recommend it.