Other editions of book Pagan's Crusade: Book One of the Pagan Chronicles by Jinks, Catherine

Wham! So here I am, standing in a sea of dirt, with a big mad Templar lobbing rocks at my head. Wham! Like some kind of martyr. Wham! He throws like a catapult.'All right, Pagan, that's enough.' (I should damn well think so.) 'Do you see what your problem is?'Wait - don't tell me. You are.It's twelfth-century Jerusalem, the time of the Crusades. Shrewd and scrappy Pagan has been plucked from the streets to work for Lord Roland, a Templar knight. Set against a background of mounting tension as Saladin's infidels close in on the Holy City, Pagan's Crusade is an exciting and exuberant tale of medieval adventure.Catherine Jinks masterfully intertwines thrilling action with a deeply personal story as Roland emerges as both mentor and friend for the orphaned Pagan. An engaging, moving and thoroughly satisfying experience.'What a romp! Not since Don Quixote took up with Sancho Panza has a knight had a squire like Pagan Kidrouk.' -- Voice of Youth Advocates

Catherine Jinks spins a colorful tale loaded with action, down-and-dirty details of medieval life, and a healthy helping of sarcasm sure to appeal to teen readers - especially boys.Down on his luck and kicked in the pants one too many times, sixteen-year-old Pagan Kidrouk arrives on the doorstep of the Templar Knights in medieval Jerusalem, looking for work as a squire. He’s expecting only some protection from the seedier aspects of life on the street and a few square meals. Instead, Pagan finds himself hard at work for Lord Roland de Bram - an exciting life of polishing Lord Roland’s armor, laundering his garments, and even training to fight by his side. But as the Infidel Saladin leads his army to Jerusalem, it becomes more and more difficult for Pagan and Lord Roland to discern what action to take or whom to trust. Neither Saladin’s army nor the Christian Crusaders offer easy answers. Is a bloody battle for control of the Holy City inevitable?

"Jinks's alternately hilarious, often poignant novel turns medieval history into fodder for both high comedy and allegory." — PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (starred review)Down on his luck and kicked in the pants one too many times, Pagan Kidrouk arrives on the doorstep of the Templar Knights in medieval Jerusalem, looking for work as a squire. Expecting only a respite from life on the street and a few square meals, the sarcastic sixteen-year-old finds himself hard at work for Lord Roland de Bram — a not-so-exciting life of polishing Lord Roland's armor, laundering his garments, and even training to fight by his side. But as the Infidel Saladin leads his army to Jerusalem, it becomes more and more difficult for Pagan and Lord Roland to decide what action to take or whom to trust. Is a bloody battle for control of the Holy City inevitable?

The first book in the highly amusing, award-winning Pagan Chronicles. Entertaining historical fiction, set in twelfth century Jerusalem -- the time of the crusades. Wham! So here I am, standing in a sea of dirt, with a big mad Templar lobbing rocks at my head. Wham! Like some kind of martyr. Wham! He throws like a catapult. 'All right, Pagan, that's enough.' (I should damn well think so.) 'Do you see what your problem is?' Wait - don't tell me. You are. Pursued by some rather unsavoury (and unwashed) characters from the Jerusalem slums, sixteen-year-old Pagan Kidrouk has a cunning idea to avoid paying his debts - he'll join the order of the Templars. But it's out of the frying pan and into the fire, when he's assigned as squire to Lord Roland. Providing Templar escort to naive pilgrims is one thing, defending Jerusalem against the Infidels, led by Saladin, is definitely not what he signed up for! An action-packed, fast-moving story enlivened by the narrator's wry reflections and warm wit.