The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

"The face of a an angel and the body of a fiend - 

I suppose that defines a boy right enough."

'Not a boy. Boy. That's my name.'  

I did not care the words he tossed about. 

I did not care for people calling me anything other than Boy"

Let's start with the cover of this Newbery Honor Book. I love the top one. My copy was the second one. The first is the US cover and the second comes from Chicken House in the UK. Which do you like?

Boy is an outcast. He is a hunchback and he is regularly taunted by other boys in the town. Adults who meet him give him a wide berth or hastily make a sign of protection. Luckily Boy finds friends in animals. The goats he tends in the fields talk to him. If he lies down to sleep animals arrive to keep him warm. Old Father Petrus has told Boy never to reveal himself, never to reveal his secrets.  What are these secrets? One is his ability to understand animals and another is that he has no need of food.

Boy is living in France. The year is 1350. He works for an old knight called Sir Jacques. Sadly Sir Jacques has been badly hurt during a joust and he can no longer speak. One day a pilgrim appears. "He is tall, goats, and wears a brown pilgrim robe and cloak and wide hat, with a staff as tall as he, and he carries a pack on a long pole. Perhaps he journeys to the Holy Land, or to Rome to see the key to heaven."

The pilgrim orders Boy to take him to his master. The name of the pilgrim is Secundus and he tells Cook (who is now married to Sir Jacques) that he will take Boy for the next part of his journey. He needs someone who is good at climbing. Secundus is collecting seven relics. His methods are not always legal but he desperately needs the relics to ensure his place in heaven. Such is his own guilt he cannot touch the relics but Boy can do this without fear and so his task is also to carry the pack - in fact it is tied to his body with a stout rope. Secundus wants to collect the relics of Saint Peter:

Rib Tooth Thumb Shin Dust Skull Tomb

This journey will take much longer than the promised 6 days and the gathering of the relics will lead Boy on a journey beyond his imagining but Boy has a purpose too. If he can reach Rome he hopes he can make his own request. Boy is desperate to be an ordinary boy.

Reading this book will make you curious to discover more about The Black Death, about the uses of religious relics, and about the ruined city of Rome in 1350.

"The thousand years (more or less) we know as the “Middle Ages” were a time of violence, superstition, and squalor, as well as a time of fervent faith and shimmering splendor.  The supernatural haunts this cavalcade of pilgrims, villagers, priests, monks, renegade knights, and robbers.  Hell seems to have broken through to earth at times—but so does heaven." Redeemed Reader

You can read a text extract here - this is a good way to discover the flavour of this very special writing. Catherine Gilbert Murdock skillfully creates the sights, nasty smells and sounds of the Medieval world.  Here are a couple of text quotes:

"This church, too, looked like the heart of a jewel. Colour filled the windows even in the grey dusk. The ceiling blazed with candles, and cloths hung on the walls. At the far end stood the altar, glittering with gold and candlelight."

"What a city it was. What a cesspit. Tall buildings made narrow streets even tighter ... the streets were clogged with beggars, and finely dresses women, and servants, clothed from the wealth of their masters."

In this video Catherine talks about her book. Here is a review with more plot details. Horn Book asked Catherine five questions.

I was pleased to discover I had read and thoroughly another book by Catherine Gilbert Murdock - Princess Ben.

Praise for The Book of Boy:
A Newbery Honor Book * Booklist Editors’ Choice *BookPage Best Books * Chicago Public Library Best Fiction *Horn Book Fanfare * Kirkus Reviews Best Books * Publishers Weekly Best Books * Wall Street Journal Best of the Year * An ALA Notable Book

I can only speak for myself, but the real lure of this book might not be the characters, the mysteries, the setting, or even the mysterious relics. The book has something a little more difficult to pin down, and even harder to attain. It’s a sheer pleasure to read. I mean it. The chapters whiz on by, daring you to put the book down for even one iota of a second. Somehow Murdock has managed to write something simultaneously archaic in form and incredibly enticing to the modern eye. Elizabeth Bird SLJ

Blend epic adventure with gothic good and evil, and add a dash of sly wit for a tale that keeps readers turning the page, shaking their heads, and feeling the power of choice. Kirkus Star review

I would follow The Book of Boy with The Book without Words by Avi and the Pagan series (5 titles) by Catherine Jinks.  Here is the first book:

You could also take a look at Catherine Called Birdy and Matilda Bone by Karen Cushman and Crispin : The Cross of Lead by Avi.