"No," cried Rudolf. "It can't be true! It is a nightmare. Soon I will wake up. A children's crusade! It is just too ridiculous. It is unthinkable. Crusades are for men; for knights on horseback, in coats of armor. Not for children!"
Crusade in Jeans is a fictional children's book originally written in Dutch by its author, Thea Beckman. After having seen the movie adaptation a few years ago, I found that it was a book and had been translated to English. Of course, I had to get my hands on it.
In her book, Beckman tells the story of a fifteen-year-old boy named Rudolf (Dolf) who convinces two scientist friends of his father to send him back in time with a time travel machine they have created. Dolf lands near the city of Spiers in the kingdom of Germany.
When his return to his own century goes terribly wrong, Dolf is stranded in the thirteenth century and ends up stumbling upon a children's crusade. Eight thousand children from Germany and its neighboring lands are on a march to conquer the Holy Land after a shepherd boy named Nicolas claims he has been told by God that he will part the sea for them and the Seracens will flee before their innocence.
As he watches the procession move by, though, he sees that the children are in terrible shape. They are malnourished and sick, they are literally dropping dead at the back of the procession or falling behind. Some were being picked off by wild animals, others by slavers and kidnappers. Dolf and his new friend, Leonardo, decide they must act and both join the crusade, quickly calling for a reform in the way things are done. They take responsibility for the welfare of the children and quickly rise in the ranks of the assembled.
Clearly these children believe the call to which Nicolas has urged them, but Dolf doubts he will be able to part the sea and suspects the two monks who are also helping to lead the procession are frauds. There is something that isn't right about this entire ordeal, both Dolf and Leonardo agree, and they are keeping their eyes peeled in order to discover what is actually going on here.
In the meantime, though, they have other worries to attend to. The journey is long and the path is fraught with perils. Wild animals such as wolves and bears lurk in the darkness about them and not all kidnappers are dissuaded by the sheer number of the pilgrims. Then there is food and shelter to worry about. The question is: can they even make it to the sea at all?
This book was so much better than I could have anticipated it. As much as I enjoyed the movie, much like Eragon, I have to say that is a mockery in comparison to the book. I don't think I would be able to watch it again without being sorely disappointed in how far it deviates from the true story. Not to mention, Dolf is so much better in the text. In the movie, he was irritating and not nearly as smart as he is meant to be.
Honestly, the only problem I have with
Crusade in Jeans is its opening. I have a very hard time believing any scientist would honestly be so irresponsible and stupid enough to send a fifteen-year-old back in time in their PROTOTYPE material-transmitter. Yes, they've had success in the past, but that is just ridiculous. Also there was the whole bit where Dolf seemed to keep "finding" things in his pockets that later became useful. It only happened about three times, but I still found myself irritated. He would have known from the beginning that he had those things in his pockets. He wouldn't have forgotten about them for a period of weeks when he was wearing the same pair of jeans the entire time.
Beyond that, though, it was excellently crafted and incredibly believable. Beckman had a firm grasp on the trials and issues that would have come up during such a trek and I found myself on the edge of my seat through the entire thing, eager to find out what would happen next. I would definitely suggest this book for a good read.
Though it is technically children's fiction, I would like to add that there are some dark themes in here. I would say it is good for 10+ would be a better age range. There is a good deal of death that might be scary for a small child and some religious themes that they may be too young to grapple with (Medieval Christianity vs. Modern Atheism).
It is historical fiction as well, however, and these are themes that ought to be considered at an older age. Beyond that, I was surprised at how many people I know had no knowledge of the children's crusades and that they were actually a historical event in the thirteenth century. It is a part of history that we ought not forget, as with most of our world's history, for fear of reoccurrence. I thought it was a good choice for Beckman to choose a historical event that ought to have more light shed upon it and use it as the center of her storyline.
All in all, I adored this book and am glad to have it upon my shelf. I bought it on Amazon after not being able to find it anywhere else and I treasure it fondly.
Rating: ~ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ~
"Now you ask me if I believe in miracles. My friend, I am experiencing nothing else."
