From School Library Journal
Grade 6–9—Sixteen-year-old Anna and her widowed father, Gunther, lead the life of a trading family in 11th-century Germany at the outset of the First Crusade. When her father takes her with him on a journey to the Jewish quarter of Worms, the teen encounters Leah, daughter of the spice merchant. Anna is intrigued by the differece in their lifestyles despite the prejudicial viewpoint of many of her fellow villagers, including her aunt and naively ignorant cousin, Martin. In search of excitement and glory, the boy runs away to join a Crusader army unit, while a renegade group of soldiers storms through the Jewish area in a rampage of destruction and massacre. Anna discovers Leah as the sole survivor, hiding and clutching her father's silver cup, used to bless wine for the Sabbath meal and other holidays. Ignoring the jeopardy she will cause herself and Gunther, Anna takes the girl home and eventually helps her to seek a new life in a distant Jewish community. This well-crafted novel juxtaposes historical events and the cruelty of religiously based politics with the human qualities of courage, fortitude, and, most of all, hope. Leeds provides mystery and authenticity about the period's lack of tolerance for the misfit or imperfect child through the disappearance—and implied murder—of Martin's mentally slow, mute younger brother while on a walk in the woods with his mother, who had "often scared him into tears." An intriguing and suspenseful portrayal of Europe's early medieval days.—
Rita Soltan, Youth Services Consultant, West Bloomfield, MI Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In the year 1095, the world of German teen Anna upends: her mentally slow youngest brother disappears, possibly at the hands of her hard-hearted stepmother; mounting enthusiasm for a Holy War ensnares a favorite cousin; and, at Anna's insistence, her father takes in orphaned Leah, a Jew whose silver kiddush cup is all that remains of her massacred family. Leeds' patient story development convincingly informs her protagonist's choices, unpopular in a time and place that cast Jews as "devil's people," while meticulous details capture the seasonal rhythms of daily life--from winter's cabin fever to the brutal, disgusting process of preparing live eels for Lenten supper. Some readers may long for a more narrowly focused plot for this first novel, but YAs who gravitate to historical fiction will appreciate the author's research, obvious in the rich storytelling as well as in the thoughtful end matter. The tender friendship that develops between Anna and Leah will also speak to teens, who may recognize their own deep attachments in the girls' unlikely bond.
Jennifer MattsonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
