The Book Without Words: A Fable of Medieval Magic

In the dark of winter in the town of Dulwich, people are more desperate than ever. There's little food, little money, and even less hope. But what the people of Dulwich do have in abundance are secrets. And one man, Godric, has devoted his life to the illegal practice of alchemy in the quest to uncover the Great Secret: of making gold, and of immortality. Yet just as he is on the brink of a great discovery, he keels over, nearly dead.

Grade 5-8–At the dawning of the Middle Ages, Thorston, an old alchemist, works feverishly to create gold and to dose himself with a concoction that will enable him to live forever. The key to his success lies in a mysterious book with blank pages that can only be read by desperate, green-eyed people. Master Bashcroft, enforcer of law and order for the city, desires Thorston's secrets for himself. Brother Wilfrid, a priest with green eyes, knows the dangers of the book and seeks to retrieve it. To this mix add Odo, a talking raven, and Sybil, a poor orphan girl whom Thorston has taken in as his servant, and you have an intriguing tale in which goodness ultimately triumphs. Avi's compelling language creates a dreary foreboding, a grim backdrop against which the characters work out their fate. The old city always seems enshrouded in nasty fog and disgusting odors. Thorston keeps consuming part of his life-giving formula and repeatedly appears to die before resuscitating as a younger person. This, plus the fact that after each "death" Sybil and the others bury him, only to have him tromp up the basement steps covered in grime, will surely keep readers turning pages. Odo's cleverness and cynicism make him a likable character, while Sybil's innate goodness will endear her to readers. Clearly this is a story with a message, a true fable. Thoughtful readers will devour its absorbing plot and humorous elements, and learn a "useful truth" along the way.–Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gr. 5-8. Avi's name on the cover of a new novel is enough to provoke shivers of anticipation in many readers, and in this "Fable of Medieval Magic" set in eleventh-century England, shivers are certainly warranted. Thirteen-year-old Sybil is the servant of Thorston, an alchemist who attempts to steal her "life's breath" but dies before the magic can take effect. Thorston's companion, a talking raven, convinces Sybil to help him seek the secret of alchemy, contained within an enchanted book--a task that's complicated by a flurry of visitors ("A sniff of gold makes everyone sneeze") and by Thorston's stubborn refusal to stay quietly in his grave. Avi reigns supreme in building gothic atmosphere, and children will be thrilled by the ghastly scenes of fog-shrouded cemeteries and villains reduced "to a foul lump of putrid muck." Less certain is how they'll respond to the unconventional structure; though unflappable, compassionate Sybil comes closest to a central protagonist, the narrative ricochets among numerous perspectives and is fractured into terse, dialogue-heavy episodes. Many fans of Avi's 2003 Newbery Award winner Crispin (2002) will miss the feeling of immersion in a narrative conferred by a single point of view even as they ponder the sweeping messages about the transience of life and the evils of avarice. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved