I first became interested in The Inquisitor's Tale for two reasons -- it was the "book of the month" for October in the mock-Newbery group I'm a part of, and it's written by Adam Gidwitz, author of the "Dark and Grimm" series. This book is not A Tale Dark and Grimm! Gidwitz incorporates some of the humor and the style of the interrupting narrator into this book that readers of his past series will expect, but this book has much more. This story takes place during the middle ages (1242) in France, and is the story of 4 unlikely characters -- a peasant girl, a Jewish boy, a young monk from a mixed heritage, and the girl's dog (who has returned from the dead)-- who are thrown together by even more unlikely circumstances and are being sought out by the King of France and the Church. Though the book's subtitle describes the children as "magical", the question becomes if these children are heretical "magicians", or actually miracle-working saints. There is much that makes this book notable. First, it is told in the style of the Canterbury Tales; various characters tell the different parts of the children's travels and travails as each of them experienced them, so that between the assembled group of travelers in a small inn, the tale is carried from the beginning to (almost) the end. Secondly, though there is much to laugh about, the underlying theme of this story about friendship and love that sees beyond race, class, and religion is a serious one that is as relevant today as it would have been centuries ago. Finally, the book is filled with historical information (that was heavily researched by the author) about a time period for which very little has been written for the middle-grade audience. Given the fact that many sixth grade students study this time period, it seems to be a great companion book to use along with the study of the middle ages in a social studies or humanities class. I thoroughly enjoyed this book -- the audio version has an entire cast of narrators who take on the different storytellers' parts, and that is delightful. The print book, on the other hand, is enhanced by the "illuminations" of Hatem Aly, which I believe would help young readers make sense of some of the period terms and vocabulary. All this said, I don't know how well this book will do in the hands of students. I would imagine it would be best for children in 5th grade or older-- and I teach 3rd and 4th grade this year. Though I've read other reviews that speak of 4th graders enjoying the book, I think it would take a rare 4th grader to truly appreciate this text. It is for this reason only that I give the book a "4" rather than a "5". For an older audience-- and for adults who love this period in history-- I would recommend it with confidence.