The Inquisitor’s Tale Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog

by Adam Gidwitz

Illuminated by Hatem Aly

Published by Dutton Children’s Books, 2016

The Inquisitor’s Tale won a Newbery Honor Medal in 2017. It was not a book I couldn’t put down. Why didn’t I love this book? It had many good reasons for me to enjoy it:

• the setting: medieval France in 1262
• many authentic people, events, and places (even ones I’d been to, like Mont St. Michel)
• a saintly dog
• three smart children
• fabulous illuminations in the margins
• magic and miracles

So I’ve been pondering why The Inquisitor’s Tale didn’t grab me. The best explanation I’ve come up with is that I didn’t care enough about the main characters or love them.

So maybe you’ll read the book and tell me how you like it.