The Inquisitor's Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog
Adam Gidwitz, Hatem Aly
Hardcover
(Dutton Books for Young Readers, Sept. 27, 2016)
A 2017 Newbery Honor BookWinner 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! The Inquisitor's Tale is one of the most celebrated children's books of the year! â
New York Times Bestseller â
A New York Times Editorâs Choice â
A New York Times Notable Childrenâs Book â
A People Magazine Kid Pick â
A Washington Post Best Childrenâs Book â
A Wall Street Journal Best Children's Book â
An Entertainment Weekly Best Middle Grade Book â
A Booklist Best Book â
A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book â
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book â
A Publishers Weekly Best Book â
A School Library Journal Best Book â
An ALA Notable Children's BookâA profound and ambitious tour de force. Gidwitz is a masterful storyteller.â âMatt de la Peña, Newbery Medalist and New York Times bestselling author âWhat Gidwitz accomplishes here is staggering." âNew York Times Book ReviewIncludes 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 Adamâs trademark style and humor, The Inquisitor's Tale is bold storytelling thatâs richly researched and adventure-packed.âItâs no surprise that Gidwitzâs latest book has been likened to The Canterbury Tales, considering its central story is told by multiple storytellers. As each narrator fills in what happens next in the story of the three children and their potentially holy dog, their tales get not only more fantastical but also more puzzling and addictive. However, the gradual intricacy of the story that is not Gidwitzâs big accomplishment. Rather it is the complex themes (xenophobia, zealotry, censorship etc.) he is able to bring up while still maintaining a light tone, thus giving readers a chance to come to conclusions themselves. (Also, there is a farting dragon.)ââEntertainment Weekly, âBest MG Books of 2016"Puckish, learned, serendipitous . . . Sparkling medieval adventure." âWall Street Journalâ
"Gidwitz strikes literary gold with this mirthful and compulsively readable adventure story. . . . A masterpiece of storytelling that is addictive and engrossing." âKirkus, starred reviewâ
"A well-researched and rambunctiously entertaining story that has as much to say about the present as it does the past." âPublishers Weekly, starred reviewâ
"Gidwitz proves himself a nimble storyteller as he weaves history, excitement, and multiple narrative threads into a taut, inspired adventure." âBooklist, starred reviewâ
"Scatological humor, serious matter, colloquial present-day language, the ideal of diversity and mutual understandingâthis has it all." âThe Horn Book, starred reviewâ
"I have never read a book like this. Itâs weird, and unfamiliar, and religious, and irreligious, and more fun than it has any right to be. . . . Gidwitz is on fire here, making medieval history feel fresh and current." âSchool Library Journal, starred review
Z