The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

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. 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. Based on that list, their journey will end in Rome, at the Mother of All the Churches. 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'. 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. 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. It was named a Newbery Honor book in January 2019.īoy is an orphan who works as a goatherd on the estate of Sir Jacques. It recounts the journey of the eponymous Boy, who accompanies the pilgrim Secundus as they gather relics associated with Saint Peter. The Book of Boy is a young adult historical fiction novel written by Catherine Gilbert Murdock and published in February 2018.

The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock