Crispin: The Cross of Lead is a 2002 children’s historical fiction novel by Avi. Set in medieval England, the novel follows the adventures of a boy who goes on the run after he is falsely accused of theft and murder and explores themes related to poverty, education, choice, and freedom. Crispin won the Newbery Medal in 2003. A sequel, Crispin at the Edge of the World, was released in 2006, while a third novel, Crispin: The End of Time, concluded the trilogy in 2010. Citations in this guide correspond with the 2002 Hyperion Books edition.

Content Warning: The source material includes mention of suicidal ideation as well as death in violent combat.

Plot Summary

In 1377 England, a 13-year-old boy named Crispin lives in the village of Stromford with his mother Asta. Since Lord Furnival, who rules over the region, is away at war when the story opens, his appointed steward, the cruel John Aycliffe, rules over the village. Following Asta’s death, Aycliffe seizes her ox as a death tax, and Crispin, despairing, flees into the woods.

Later that night, Crispin spots Aycliffe meeting with a messenger in the woods. When Aycliffe sees Crispin, he attacks him, but Crispin escapes. Crispin remains hidden as Aycliffe starts a search for him. Aycliffe even falsely accuses Crispin of stealing and declares him to be a wolf’s head, meaning that he can be killed on sight. Crispin sneaks into the village to ask Father Quinel for help. Father Quinel tells Crispin, who to that point was only known as Asta’s son, that his mother named him Crispin. He also gives him a lead cross that belonged to her. Father Quinel plans to meet with Crispin the next night to give him supplies so he can run away from Stromford. After hiding in the woods for a day, Crispin returns to the village, but Father Quinel is missing. Goodwife Peregrine, a friend of Father Quinel, gives Crispin some supplies, but a boy named Cerdic leads Crispin into a trap. Aycliffe's men close in, but Crispin escapes. As he leaves town, he passes the body of Father Quinel, who was killed.

Confused and distressed, Crispin runs away from Stromford. Eventually, he comes to a village whose inhabitants died of the plague. There, he encounters a wandering jester known as Bear. Bear feeds Crispin and declares himself to be Crispin’s new master. Over the next few weeks, Bear leads Crispin through the countryside. At first, Crispin is scared of Bear, but over time he comes to trust him. Among other things, Bear teaches Crispin to juggle and play music, and soon the two of them begin performing in villages to earn money. At the same time, they hear reports of Aycliffe’s ongoing search for Crispin, and Crispin fears that someone will recognize him. One night, Crispin shows his mother’s cross to Bear, but Bear refuses to tell Crispin, who cannot read, what is written on the cross.

Avoiding Aycliffe’s men, Bear and Crispin make their way toward Great Wexly, the biggest city in the area. Within the city, they stay at the Green Man tavern, which is run by Bear’s friend Widow Daventry. While there, Bear meets with a secret organization that plans to coordinate a revolt. Bear hides his activity from Crispin, who becomes bored and sneaks out to wander the city. When he stumbles into Aycliffe inside the cathedral, Crispin runs away and gets lost in the city until Bear finds him.

The next day, when Bear leaves for another meeting of the secret society, Crispin thinks he sees someone following Bear. He follows Bear to a shoe shop where the meeting is being held. Crispin overhears part of the discussion, then interrupts the meeting to warn Bear and the others when he sees Aycliffe approaching accompanied by soldiers. Everyone escapes except for Bear, who is captured and carried to the palace where Lady Furnival reigns following the recent death of her husband.

Unsure what to do, Crispin returns to the Green Man tavern, which he finds in ruins after soldiers ransacked it as they looked for him. Widow Daventry explains that Crispin is an out-of-wedlock son of Lord Furnival. Now that Lord Furnival is dead, Lady Furnival fears that others will use Crispin as a pawn to claim power, which is why she ordered Aycliffe to kill Crispin.

That night, Crispin decides to rescue Bear from the palace after the secret society refuses to help him. By climbing onto a balcony, Crispin sneaks into the Furnivals’ palace. Crispin sees a picture of Lord Furnival, who looks just like him, but feels no connection with him since he disapproves of how the Furnivals treat the common people. When Aycliffe apprehends Crispin, Crispin overpowers him with a dagger. Crispin then promises to leave Great Wexly forever if Aycliffe lets him and Bear go; Aycliffe agrees. Aycliffe goes along with Crispin’s plan until they are near the walls of the city, where he turns against them and begins to fight. With help from Crispin, Bear overpowers and then kills Aycliffe. Leaving behind the lead cross that is the only proof of Crispin’s true identity, Bear and Crispin exit the city as free men. Through Crispin’s decision to leave behind the wealth and power associated with his Furnival heritage, Avi illustrates the power of personal choice even in a corrupt society.