» Crispin: The End of Time Kids' Blog

Crispin The End of Time finishes the trilogy that began with #1 Crispin The Cross of Lead and #2: Crispin at the Edge of the World. Crispin is a peasant orphan in 14th Century France – that would be in the time of castles and knights. In his previous adventures Crispin made a family for himself with his friend Troth and Bear, the man who looks after them. At the beginning of this book, Bear has died, which leaves Crispin and Troth orphaned again; alone and hungry with no place to call home. Crispin and Troth are afraid. The only thing they can think to do is follow Bear’s plan to get to Iceland, even though they have no idea where Iceland is or what they will do when they get there.

Their journey is full of danger and suspense. I actually wanted to cry a couple times, especially when Crispin and Troth choose to go their seperate ways and when Crispin befriends a mis-treated servent boy named Owen when they are both held captive by a band of murderous thieves. There are a couple scenes when Owen curls up in a ball and cries, too frightened and too tired to even begin to think about how he could save himself. It’s hard to imagine a small child in that situation. The most satisfying part of this story is the relationship Crispin and Owen build that helps them outsmart and overcome their captors. Author: Avi