by Avi
PRMS hardcover 203 pages
genre: YA historical fiction, magic
Interesting. I thought of including this with our spring medieval hist fic unit, but the magical elements are pretty strong. The factual details jump out at me - lack of hygiene, poverty, illiteracy, etc. But I'm not sure if middle schoolers would clue into that as much as the book of spells that can only be read by a green-eyed person with great desire.
Sybil is a youngster who is happy to have a place to sleep and some food to eat, even though her new master, Thorston, is not kind. He also plans to steal her life force to make himself invincible, but she doesn't know that yet. Odo the talking crow (who's actually a changed goat), Brother Wilfrid the monk, Alfric the green-eyed street urchin, Master Bashcroft the reeve, and others make this tale intriguing if somewhat predictable. I most liked Alfric and Sybil's ability to make friends and care for others.
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