Will Sparrow's Road: A Comic Adventure About a Runaway Thief in Elizabethan England for Children (Ages 10-12)

I’m still a fan of “coming of age” stories. Especially those set in different times. This book held my interest from start to finish

Delightful story about a band of misfits in Elizabethan England who create their own unconventional family. I enjoyed learning about this period of history and even bought the book for my 14-year-old nephew when I finished.

There are no breaks in life for Will Sparrow. But, when his father sells him to an innkeeper who plans to send him to the city to be a chimney sweep, he runs away and begins a journey that helps him find himself. All of the quirky characters he meets along the way help him grow into a boy who is nothing like the thief and liar that plagues his initial identity.

This story was ok..........not great but ok. I was a little bored with it and the kids I was reading it to seemed to be bored also.

I enjoyed CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY, THE MIDWIFE’S APPRENTICE and MATILDA BONE, so I was eager to read WILL SPARROW’S ROAD. The book jacket is appealing, the story was a big disappointment. The first half intrigued me, but my attention began to lag midway and I had to force myself to finish the book. I couldn’t keep up with so many characters with yet another fair coming up. It seemed like too much of the same thing I had just read. Maybe I need to stick to Karen’s American stories. I thoroughly enjoyed THE BALLAD OF LUCK WHIPPLE. -Hope Irvin Marston, author of EYE ON THE IDITAROD: AISLING’S QUEST

Once again, Karen Cushman is the #1 at her craft. Made me feel like I lived in midieval times with Will. The author is the master of characterization and brings the hopes and dreams of her characters to life.

Will Sparrow has had a hard life. Sold at a young age by his father for a pint of ale, Will works at an inn but is not fed well so he must resort to stealing food. One day he steals a pie from the innkeeper which results in the innkeeper deciding to sell Will to the chimney-sweeps. He takes issue with this, and so goes on the run. Will Sparrow sees himself as a thief and a liar with no cares for anyone but himself. By happenstance, he ends up traveling with a troupe of oddities including an intelligent pig, a dwarf and a cat-girl. He does not realize the leader of the troupe is not exactly a kind and caring person. What drives Will Sparrow's Road by Karen Cushman is the hope that Will overcomes his trust issues and lets others care about him. The character of Will Sparrow was quite realistic for a 12 year old boy who has been kicked around. Cushman does a decent job showing how Will's backstory affects his attitude towards others. He is not wise beyond his years like plenty of other middle grade main characters. Instead, Will Sparrow is given the freedom to make mistakes and bad decisions and then grow from them. I thought that for Cushman's first main character that happened to be male, she did well. Cushman's writing style isn't very hard to follow. She uses some vocabulary words that are fitting with the time period that Will Sparrow's Road is set in which enhances the story and really provides a sense of place and time. I liked the setting of the Elizabethan market fairs, because it is one that I have not encountered very much in my reading. I did find the pace to be a bit slow and I was not all that compelled to pick up Will Sparrow's Road in my free time, as I didn't entirely connect with will. However, I think this book has an audience. Perhaps the best thing about Will Sparrow's Road by Karen Cushman is the lesson it ultimately teaches -- to not judge others by their appearance. Cushman wonderfully shows how Will's snap judgments about others are wrong. It's a lovely lesson to learn and isn't exactly rammed down the throat of the reader. I'd recommend this book to 8-12 year old children with an interest in historical fiction as well as children with an interest in animals.

I enjoyed this coming of age story. I loved how Will came to see the worth of others, but his own as well.