Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

Hale, S. (2008). Book of a Thousand Days (Unabridged, 6 discs). Full Cast Audio.

ISBN:1599900513

Price :$17.95 hardback

Reader's Annotation: The Lady Saren and her maid Dashti are locked in a tower for seven years, because Saren wouldn't marry the man her father chose for her.

Summary: On her first day as a lady's maid, Dashti chooses to endure confinement with the Lady Saren. Saren is to be locked in a tower for seven years, as punishment for refusing the man her father has chosen for her to marry. Though they are locked away from the world, Dashti and the Lady Saren have food and supplies enough to last. Dashti tries to keep Lady Saren's spirits up, and she keeps a journal of their time in the tower. Then the girls get two visitors. One is the man Saren would like to marry, and the other is the man her father had chosen. In both cases, Saren makes Dashti pretend to be her, to speak to the men through the small opening in the wall of the tower. Saren and Dashti eventually break free of the tower, but the land they knew is gone, replaced by scorched fields of war. Dashti leads Saren on a quest for answers.

Genre: audiobook, action, book, fairy tale, family, fantasy, fiction, friends, love story, identity, royalty, war

Series : This book is not part of a series.

Evaluation: Another fantastic adaptation of a lesser-known fairy tale by Shannon Hale.

Why it belongs in a Tween Collection: Shannon Hale already has a strong following of tween readers, for her books The Goose Girl and The Princess Academy, among others. Her fans will be anxious to get her hands on this books as well.

Readalikes :

• Princess Ben by Catherine Murdock
• Fairest by Gail Carson Levine
  

Other Useful Info:

• Shannon Hale's Website

Reviews:
from Booklist

The author of the Newbery Honor Book Princess Academy (2005) offers another captivating fantasy filled with romance, magic, and strong female characters. The story, based on a little-known fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm, takes place in an imagined ancient Central Asia. Orphaned Dashti is a hardworking, pragmatic girl, who grew up in the open, windswept steppes. She finds work in the city with a young noblewoman, Lady Saren. Then Lady Saren refuses an advantageous marriage, and as punishment, she and Dashti are sentenced to seven years in a sealed tower. A tiny window is the tower’s only connection to the outside world, and it’s there that Saren’s two suitors, the terrifying Khasar and the handsome Tegus, come calling. Written in diary form in Dashti’s voice, the gripping tale follows the two young women through their imprisonment and their escape into a grim world of warring societies. Readers will quickly embrace Dashti, an invincible storybook heroine with a healer’s touch, who accomplishes battlefield heroics while nurturing a powerful, secret love for a lord. Fans of Gail Carson Levin’s Fairest (2006) will embrace this similar mix of exotic, fully realized setting; thrilling, enchanted adventure; and heart-melting romance.

— Gillian Engberg

Crispin Cross of Lead by Avi

Avi. (2002). Crispin: The Cross of Lead. (Unabridged, 5 discs). Prince Frederick, MD: Recorded Books.

ISBN: 1402545533

Price :$32.95

CD audiobook

Reader's Annotation: Crispin must flee the only home he's ever known when he is accused of a crime he didn't commit.

Summary: When the book opens, Crispin, the main character, doesn't even know that his name is Crispin. He's known only as "Asta's Son." His mother has died, and life on the 14th century manor is not going to be easy for the boy on his own. Then he happens to overhear the lord of his manor say something incriminating. Suddenly, his very life is in danger. Crispin learns the secret of his true name from the priest of the manor, who says there is more to his birth and family than he knows. Unfortunately, the priest is murdered before Crispin learns the true story. He is declared a "wolf's head." Anyone who sees him may kill him like an animal, and get a reward for doing so. He runs away, carrying only the lead cross his mother wore before she died.

Genre: historical fiction, action, fiction, friends, identity, mystery, audiobook

Series : The sequel to this book is Crispin: At The Edge of the World.

Evaluation: I wasn't wild about this book, though I recognize a good adventure plot and fine writing when I see it. I frequently recommend it to kids who like similar books, but it wasn't my thing.

Why it belongs in a Tween Collection: Crispin won a Newbery so any librarian would be remiss if they didn't have it on their shelves. The story gives a good look at life for a peasant in 14th century England, mixed in with a healthy dose of adventure. The story keeps on moving, so it will be a good choice for reluctant readers. The range of new words and concepts makes it a good choice for audio.


Readalikes :

• Redwall by Brian Jacques
  
• A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
  

Other Useful Info:

• Avi's Website

Reviews:
from Kidsread.com

He is a 13-year-old boy living in 14th century England, a time when life was hard for most people. He's less than a serf, working the land for people who are his betters and totally dependent upon them. He's really a nothing. He doesn't know why, but he and his mother have always been outcasts in their little village, and everybody seems to hate them. In fact, he is so despised that he doesn't even have a name --- he's just "Asta's son."

The village he lives in is owned entirely by Lord Furnival, who is always gone fighting wars for the king. So his steward, John Aycliffe, manages all Furnival's property, which includes the lives of everybody in the village. And Aycliffe seems to hate Asta's son even more than the villagers do. When Asta dies, her son's life becomes more unbearable than ever. Aycliffe declares that Asta's son must give his only ox to Lord Furnival's manor as a death tax for his mother. This means that the boy can't work the land for his meager livelihood. Then Aycliffe accuses Asta's son of stealing and declares him a wolf's head. This means that anybody who meets the boy may kill him on sight, since a wolf's head is not considered a human being.

The boy's only friend is Father Quinel. He knows things about Asta's son that the boy, himself, doesn't know. For example, he knows about the boy's father, and he says that Asta's son was christened with the name Crispin, even though his mother had kept that a secret. Father Quinel gives Crispin the lead cross that belonged to Asta and promises that he will tell him all about his father. But when he tries to help Crispin escape from the village, things don't go quite as they planned.

Crispin barely escapes, running for his life, with nothing but the cross and the knowledge that he has a real name. The cross has something written on it by Asta but Crispin can't read, and he's astonished to learn that his mother could. Does the writing somehow explain why his mother seemed to both love him and hate him? As Crispin flees his mind is filled with many questions about why he's been falsely accused by Aycliffe, why the people want him dead, and why he and his mother were so despised.

Eventually Crispin meets a giant juggler and jester named Bear, who befriends him, but Crispin isn't really sure whether Bear is a friend or foe. He doesn't know if there's anyone that he can trust. Will Crispin ever become a free man? Read his exciting story and discover the secrets about the life of the boy named Crispin.

--- Reviewed by Tamara Penny