From Publishers Weekly
Michael Cadnum follows up The Book of the Lion, which PW called a "majestic novel" in a starred review, with The Leopard Sword. Hubert and Edmund, fresh from the Crusades, take on a covert challenge while sailing home to England. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9-Set after the fall of Acre during the Crusades, this second book continues the adventure that began in The Book of the Lion (Viking, 2000). Now Hubert and Edmund are on their way back to England, facing many hardships and challenges along the way. Cadnum vividly describes the tedium and terror of the sea voyage as the Crusaders outrun enemy ships, survive a shipwreck, and arrive in Rome only to deal with the bands of criminals there. Hubert tells the story with candor. Though he hopes to become a proper knight, he does not glorify fighting and repeatedly describes the futility of battle, referring to war as a "butcher's craft." When they reach England, the men discover that Edmund's life is in danger. He had joined the Crusades after the master to whom he was apprenticed was arrested and killed for selling impure silver. Fighting successfully in the Crusades was supposed to erase his "crime." However, Prince John is trying to gain power in the absence of his brother, King Richard, who went off to the Crusades, and he puts a high price on Edmund's freedom. The book's exciting climax centers around a challenge accepted by Hubert to save his friend's life. Historical information is skillfully interwoven into this adventurous tale, making it a fine selection to use for interdisciplinary study.
Renee Steinberg, Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
