"The Trumpeter of Krakow" by Eric P. Kelly

If you've read more than one of my entries on this blog you'll know I have a goal to read all the Newbery books in my lifetime.  You'll also know that I've struggled reading them.  Most of them don't hold my attention span well.  But that changed with the 1929 Newbery Medal winner, "The Trumpeter of Krakow."  Unlike most of the seven Newbery books I've read, I had actually heard of this title before and Micaela says it was her favorite book in late elementary school (if anyone wants to know my favorite book in late elementary school, it was "Wolf by the Ears" by Ann Rinnaldi).  And I don't blame Micaela for liking this book so much.  Taking place in the mid-1400s, the tale takes the reader back in time to the heart of the Renaissance in Poland's capitol.  A family honors a centuries-old oath to protect a much coveted crystal.  This mission drives them from their home when power-hungry Russian thugs burn their house and lands.  Seeking refuge in Krakow, the family are determined to hand the crystal over to the king for safe keeping.  And of course, that's easier said than done.  I won't tell you anymore because unlike that pigeon book I read, this is a book I think everyone should become familiar with.  No spoilers here.