Pagan's Crusade: Book One of the Pagan Chronicles [Paperback]

Catherine Jinks (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 3, 2004 | Series: Pagan Chronicles (Book 1)

"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?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a starred review, PW wrote, "Jinks's alternately hilarious, often poignant novel turns medieval history into fodder for both high comedy and allegory." Ages 12-up.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up-An uneven attempt at blending history, adventure, and humor. Pagan, a streetwise teenager in muddy, medieval Jerusalem, tries to escape his criminal past by joining the Templar Knights. He becomes a squire to Lord Roland de Bram, a rigid, proper Knight, and together they uncover a plot to invade the Holy City. Rich with historical details, yet lacking in explanation of period or setting, the book fails to give readers the broader context of the events. Also, the ungainly first-person narration, much of it written in decapitated sentence fragments and parenthetical asides, will leave teens with the difficult tasks of empathizing with the narrator and attempting to understand the action. The character development is weak, leaving most of the players as mere caricatures. Pagan learns a lesson or two about responsibility while working with Roland and defending the city, but he doesn't really evolve beyond anachronistic, sarcastic remarks. His favorite phrase, "Christ in a cream cheese sauce," is funny once or twice, but loses something on the 20th reading. Readers who have moved beyond Jon Scieszka's "Time Warp Trio" series (Viking) may find something in the historical spoofing and sarcasm, but Leon Garfield's Smith (Farrar, 2000) is a better take on the clever, back-alley kid who gets in over his head. First in a proposed series.
Douglas P. Davey, Guelph Public Library, Ontario, Canada
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 246 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick Press; Reprint edition (August 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763625841
• ISBN-13: 978-0763625849
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.7 x 7.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,015,228 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

CATHERINE JINKS was born in Brisbane, Australia in 1963. She grew up in Papua New Guinea and later spent four years studying medieval history at the University of Sydney. After working for several years in a bank, she married a Canadian journalist and lived for a short time in Nova Scotia, Canada. She is now a full-time writer, residing in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales with her husband Peter and their daughter Hannah.Catherine is a three-time winner of the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year award, and has also won a Victorian Premier's Literature Award, the Ena Noel Award for Children's Literature, and an Aurealis Award for Science Fiction. In 2001 she was presented with a Centenary Medal for her contribution to Australian Children's Literature.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A fast-paced and absorbing story that simply cries to be read aloud June 28, 2005

By Laraine A. Barker

Format:Hardcover

A big man in brown, sitting behind a table. Big hands. Big chest. Short and broad. Head like a rock, face scarred like a battle axe. He looks up and sees--what's this? A street urchin? Whatever it is, it's trouble. Trouble advances cautiously.

      "They said I should report to the Standard-Bearer."

      The big man nods.

      "You can call me sir," he says. (Voice like gravel rattling in a cast-iron pot.) He pulls out a pen. "Name?" he says.

      "Pagan."

      "Pagan what?"

      "Pagan Kidrouk."

This is the reader's introduction to 16-year-old Pagan, a half-Arab Christian, who is applying to join the Knights Templar. The year is 1187, and Jerusalem, held by Christians, faces the approach of Saladin and his Muslim army. Pagan is chosen to serve as a squire to Lord Roland, a Templar knight. As danger mounts and the Holy City is besieged, Pagan finds friendship--and risks everything to keep it.

The above excerpt, which is the beginning of the book, gives a good indication of Catherine Jinks's extremely spare writing style with its constant peppering of incomplete sentences. It is as though Pagan himself, who has been raised in a monastery and is therefore very literate as well as observant, is speaking to us. It also makes for a fast-paced and absorbing story that simply cries to be read aloud. I realise historical novels are not all that popular among children, but a class of, say, 12-year-olds would soon become engrossed if their teacher was a good reader and read this book to them.

This is the first book in the Pagan series. The others (in the order in which they should be read) are Pagan in Exile, Pagan's Vows and Pagan's Scribe

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars For the Calvins out there with sass: March 17, 2006

By Heather A. Spares

Format:Hardcover

Is it just me or are there very few teen series out there in a guy's perspective? Yeah, Harry Potter. And Calvin and Hobbes just HAS to be compared. The wit, the childishness and the wisdom combined. Pagan is cute and clever, good and wicked. I'm a person who normally only buys books so that I can make FULL use out of them (read them to tatters, basically). This, I picked off the shelf, read the first page, and bought it automatically. I have not been disappointed.

The first book is pure Crusade stuff, with dates and smelly old lepers and annoying tourists. It gives you a day-in-the-life perspective with Pagan's cutting (yet observant) remarks. It also draws you into both his own and his lord Roland's character, making you buy the next, then the next, then sit patiently and chew your fingers for the next book.

Catherine Jinks, you've got a new big fan.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Really Good Medieval Historical Fiction!!! May 16, 2007

A Kid's Review

Format:Paperback

Pagan is a 16-year-old boy who was born in Jerusalem during the 1100's. Pagan is half Arab, and he is an orphan. He needs a place to live and money, so he goes to the Knights Templar center to sign up as a Templar squire. He ends up as the squire of Lord Roland Roucy de Bram. They are assigned to escort and protect groups of pilgrims visiting Jerusalem's holy sites. The pilgrims have a very annoying tour guide named Joscelin. Joscelin tells the pilgrims false facts. And then the tourists start playing a game that would likely be called "Name That Saint". It's funny because instead of playing games that we play now, such as "Name That State" it's "Name That Saint".

Near the end of the book the Muslims conquer Jerusalem. The Christians have to pay to be free or become a slave. What I thought was the funnies part was when the Crusaders, Balian, and Lord Roland, are haggling with Saladin over how much a person should be worth to be free. I find that funny because when they are haggling it sounds like haggling over something like a pound of cheese, not a person.

Pagan's Crusade is the first book of the "Pagan Chronicles". One problem with the Pagan Chronicles is that once it gets onto the second book it turns into more like a book for 13-year-olds. The second book has a lot more bad words and a lot more violence. It is kind of like Star Wars, because all of a sudden instead of being rated PG, Episode III is rated PG-13. Pagan's Crusade is funny, exciting, and a little bit informative about the Crusades. It does have some bad words. Little kids SHOULD NOT read this book, especially if they have a brother or sister. There are a lot of mean insults that they might repeat. I am ten, but this book is really for eleven-year-olds.

Ben (age 10)

May 16, 2007