The Inquisitor’s Tale

The Inquisitor’s Tale

• Genre: Fiction; middle grade historical with magical elements
• Originally Published: 2016
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 620L; grades 5-8
• Structure/Length:  Prologue and 27 chapters; approx. 384 pages; approx. 10 hours, 22 minutes on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: In 1242 France, William, an oblate from a monastery, Jacob, a Jewish boy fleeing a burning village, and Jeanne, a peasant girl hiding prophetic visions, come together to escape prejudice and save holy texts from the pyre. Along with holy dog Gwenforte, the children battle dragons and knights together as their quest leads them to a showdown in Mont Saint-Michel.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Death of a pet, separation from parents, religious persecution and bigotry

Adam Gidwitz, Author

• Bio: Born in San Francisco in 1982; grew up in Baltimore, Maryland; considered studying religion or philosophy in college but chose English literature; taught first, second, fifth, and high school grades at Saint Ann’s School after college; spent a year in France with his wife in 2012; author of The Unicorn Rescue Society books
• Other Works: A Tale Dark and Grimm (2010); In a Glass Grimmly (2012); The Grimm Conclusion (2013); The Empire Strikes Back: So You Want to Be a Jedi (2015); The Creature of the Pines (2018); The Basque Dragon (2018); Sasquatch and the Muckleshoot (2018); The Chupacabras of the Rio Grande (2019)
• Awards: Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book of the Year (2010); School Library Journal Best Children’s Book of the Year (2010); ALA Notable Book (2010); Newberry Honor (2017); Sydney Taylor Book Award (2017)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• The Power of Difference
• Storytelling as Unity
• Reckoning with Complexity

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Explore background information on frame narrators, the strategy of multiple narrators, and the Middle Ages to increase their engagement with and understanding of The Inquisitor’s Tale.
• Read/study short paired texts and other resources to deepen their understanding of themes related to The Power of Difference, Storytelling as Unity, and Reckoning with Complexity.
• Demonstrate their understanding of theme in The Inquisitor’s Tale by creating an illuminated-manuscript-style illustration of a scene that conveys theme.
• Analyze the significance of various elements of the novel, such as narrative strategies and narrative structure, irony, characterization, and visual storytelling, and construct essay responses tying these to the novel’s meaning.