The Book of Boy facts for kids
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dustjacket of the 1st (hardcover) edition, illustrated by Ian Schoenherr
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| Author | Catherine Gilbert Murdock |
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| Illustrator | Ian Schoenherr |
| Set in | France and Italy, c.1350 |
| Publisher | Greenwillow Books (imprint of HarperCollins) |
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Publication date
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February 6, 2018 |
| Media type | hc, eBook |
| Pages | 288 |
| Awards | Newbery Honor, 2018 |
| ISBN | 978-0-06-268620-6 |
The Book of Boy is a young adult historical fiction novel written by Catherine Gilbert Murdock and published in February 2018. It recounts the journey of the eponymous Boy, who accompanies the pilgrim Secundus as they gather relics associated with Saint Peter. It was named a Newbery Honor book in January 2019.
Plot summary
Boy is an orphan who works as a goatherd on the estate of Sir Jacques. He encounters the pilgrim Secundus in the fields and guides him to the manor, where Secundus convinces the Cook to lend him Boy as his servant on his pilgrimage to the nearest large town, Saint-Peter's-Step. As they leave for their journey, Secundus ties a mysterious bundle to Boy's hunchback and threatens him with death if he should peek inside or run away with it. During their first night together, Secundus reveals his quest to Boy; he is seeking seven relics from the body of Saint Peter: "Rib tooth thumb shin dust skull tomb". Based on that list, their journey will end in Rome, at the Mother of All the Churches.
The story is set in the holy year of 1350, while the Black Death was sweeping through Europe; before the novel begins, the wife and three children of Sir Jacques have succumbed to the plague. As an orphan and deformed with a hunchback, Boy has been bullied all his life and has a deep sense of shame over his otherness, although he is able to take comfort in his strange rapport with animals.
