Adam
Gidwitz’s new novel The Inquisitor’s Tale
is proving as popular as his well-known “Grimm” novels, including A Tale Dark and Grimm. In an interview with the KidsPost section of the Washington Post ,
Gidwitz talks about his research process for this novel, which is set in the
Middle Ages. As he traveled in Europe
with his wife, a professor of medieval history, Gidwitz read about knights, saints
and even a sacred dog. All these things
became part of his fictional tale, but he added many of his own intriguing
details. For example, the young peasant
girl Jeanne is loosely based on St. Joan of Arc, of whom little is known of her
childhood. And a farting dragon makes an
appearance!
Below
are writing lessons for the classroom or for individual writers ages 8 and
up. Gidwitz’s website includes a teacher’s guide.
EXPLORING
HISTORY: Classroom Discussion: Gidwitz makes the past come alive by
centering historic events in the lives of three young people and a dog on a
dangerous quest for sacred objects. You
might apply his process to the classroom study of any historic time period—or
even to the study of current events.
Classroom
Writing: Depending on what issue or historical time period you may be studying, you might
help kids to connect to it on a more interactive, dramatic level. Have each student make up a character who is
involved in a historic event. For
example, a girl or boy involved in a suffrage march or Civil Rights Era
eat-in. Or a young neighbor helping the
Wright brothers to fly the first airplane.
Or a youngster trying to grow food in a weedy Victory Garden during
WWII. What makes Gidwitz’s novel
particularly compelling, though, is that the child characters must deal with uncertainty and danger, which creates
suspense. Sinister knights try to
kidnap Jeanne; quicksand creates problems for travelers.
Ask
students to put their characters in a
moment of realistic danger or in the midst of a big problem that they must
figure out how to solve/deal with. Have
them brainstorm some possible dangers/problems, alone and as a class. What does the main character do? Have students close their eyes and imagine this scene in their heads, focusing on
what their kid character might see, hear, smell, taste, and touch as part of
this experience. What do their
clothes look and feel like? What’s their
mode of transportation? Do they have a
pet? Are they scared? Angry? Confused?
Students
might do some internet or library or classroom book research. For example, looking at historic photographs might give them ideas of details of
clothing or historic items to include in their Historic Moments pieces.
Ask
students to read their pieces aloud. As
a group, discuss what they learned by researching/writing these pieces—and by
listening to others’ pieces.
