“To bring light to the dark world, you must be brave enough to search the shadows.”–Adam Gidwitz, The Inquisitor’s Tale
This incredible story by Adam Gidwitz was a Newberry Honor book in 2017 and I am not sure how it didn’t win the Newberry Award. It is a unique and well crafted story that addresses hard subjects in a way that makes sense to kids and quite frankly, has some of the better explanations I’ve seen as an adult. The story begins at an inn in 1249, where travelers gather and discuss the stories of three children. The children have been racing across France where they’ve been taken captive by knights, sat alongside the king, and saved the land from a farting dragon. As they try to escape prejudice and persecution and save holy texts from being burned, they arrive in Mont Saint-Michel for a final showdown that may answer the question once and for all if these children can perform the miracles of saints.
The three children are William, an oblate on a mission for his monastery, Jacob, a Jewish boy who has fled his burning village, and Jeanne, a peasant girl who hides her prophetic visions and is accompanied by her loyal greyhound, Gwenforte–recently returned from the dead. The story is told in the style of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales as each of the travelers shares their experience with the children and it is an extremely effective device in telling the story.
Gidwitz has somehow mangaged to keep a light tone to the book despite the heavy topics discussed (anti-Semitism, the Inquisition, religous persecution, war violence) –the introduction of farting dragons certainly helps! This is a book for all ages and the audiobook, read by the author is fantastic. Be sure to read or listen to the author notes at the end of the book as Gidwitz shares the historical background behind many of the stories–including the farting dragon!
Content Advisory: Antisemitism, violence,