On "The Book of Boy": A Book Review

February is at its end and I've failed to post anything at all save this book review, which I fail to provide an image for...

Title: The Book of Boy
Author: Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Genre: Children's/YA Historical Fiction

About the Book...
Boy, though disfigured with a large hump and lacking in a past that causes him to be viewed with suspicion by others, is relatively happy working as a goat boy for a manor in 1300's France. Then one day a strange and unnerving pilgrim named Secundus comes to the manor and requests he come with him on a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Peter. As he finds out, though, Secundus isn't all he seems and is in fact intending to use him as an accomplice to steal a list of St. Peter's relics to fulfill his own needs. And once he gives in, Boy starts a journey that reveals much more about himself than he would have imagined.
  
Selected as a Newbery Honor Book.  

What I Think...
I tend to favor the Newbery Honor Books over the actual winner and this book is yet another example of that. I really thoroughly enjoyed this book from all perspectives. 

I love that it takes place in 1300's Europe, which is a time period of interest to me. It's not overly bogged down in facts, but it's apparent that attention has been given to the details. It is well written in a way that was appealing and that read quickly. Medieval dialog was applied here and there, as well, which added to the historical nature of the text, but is very subtle.

Murdock keeps you wondering through much of the book exactly where the story is headed slowly feeding the reader details that cause your perspective to shift along with the characters. She does this in a way where you know you need to be questioning some of the details, though not that draws a lot of attention to them. I also liked how she reveals the inner thoughts of Boy without focusing too much on them to the extent that you are seeing everything from his perspective instead allowing the reader to think for themselves about what's happening.

To Sum it All Up...
An interesting story with some lovely twists and turns and a lot of adventure in between!♥️