false 6680435 3 2 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1249545352m/6680435.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6680435-angel-fish 1959059 Lili Wilkinson 66 17 4 1 false Sun Aug 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 06 00:56:04 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 23 23:25:53 -0700 2009 Angel Fish is very loosely based on the Children's Crusade in the 13th century, and is told by Gabriel, who meets Stephan, a boy who claims to speak to God, and who has grand plans for how an army of children will defeat the Saracen.

This is an incredibly interesting premise - I haven't read any fiction, let alone fiction for teenagers, that covers the Children's Crusade - and what follows is an incredibly novel. Angel Fish is beautifully told in deceptively simple language, by Gabriel, as he follows Stephan on their way to the Holy Land, gathering children as they go. Gabriel has unwavering faith in Stephan, and that he really is a holy prophet, but his singlemindedness and utter faith was at times frustrating.

Something that I really loved was the relationships between Gabby and the other children, especially Ines and Fox-boy. Their journey was incredibly difficult both physically and emotionally, and I felt it was written really wonderfully - the simplicity of it made it all the more powerful.

Lili Wilkinson is such a versatile author, writing both historical and contemporary fiction (like her recently released novel Pink) seamlessly. Angel Fish was easy to read (writing-wise; it lacked the flowery prose that's in a lot of historical fiction, and I liked that), but was so emotionally evocative. The characters stayed with me long after I finished reading.

I'd recommend this to teenagers who are looking for a story with a substance and powerful read.]]>