In P6A, my reading
group has been enjoying, The Crowfield Curse by Pat Walsh. We all wrote reviews of this book as one of
our tasks. I really loved this book and
hope when you read my review, you will rush to your library for a copy and read
it too!
The Crowfield Curse – A review
Set in 1347,
the story follows monks’ apprentice, William, as he finds himself caught up in
a battle between light and dark forces that seem to surround the abbey where he
lives. After discovering a creature
called a hob tangled in a trap, Will’s eyes are opened to the magical creatures
around him. There are many ‘fay’
creatures, old pagan gods, ghosts and healers and a secret buried deep in the
woods.
William is a
peculiar character. He is kind, fair and
tender-hearted, able to move past conventional beliefs in order to see the
bigger picture. Although frightened a
great deal of the time, he continually strives to do what he believes is best
for others. Which, in my opinion, all
adds up to a tenacious hero.
The mystery
that Will is drawn into is genuinely intriguing. It’s so hard to tell how the story is going
to turn out. Even when you are 100%
positive you think you know what’s going to happen it goes all twisted and the
author (Pat Walsh) adds a new development.
I would love to see The Crowfield Curse as a movie so I could see how
the characters are brought to life.
Another
really great thing is that the author doesn’t skimp on historical detail. Even if it is a book mostly targeted for
children aged 9-13, this is a very detailed look at medieval life and it really
shows how difficult life was then. I was
also interested to see how matter of fact the hardships were. It’s difficult to imagine anyone today being
so philosophical about hard work, hunger or cold. You can always come up with theories for this
book.
As mentioned
in the paragraph before, I recommend this book to children aged 9-13 years,
especially those interested in that time period or in magical creatures. This does not have the charm of the ‘Harry Potter’
series, but it’s a wonderful book nonetheless.
Overall, The
Crowfield Curse is a fantastic, spellbinding novel. The greatest piece of literature I’ve ever
read and I can’t wait to read the sequel, The Crowfield Demon.
Review by
Ayoyinka P6A
Thanks for
reading my work.