SOLVED. YA Historical Fiction book from 2000s about a boy carrying a cross who is an orphan wanderer. [s]

[[deleted user]]

I remember it came out in the early 2000s, I was in elementary school around 4th-5th grade and won a raffle that let me pick a book from the "new books added to the library shelf" and I remember picking out this book that was about a boy who lived with his mother. His mother ends up dying and the boy wanders around with just a couple coins and a metal cross that his mother told him belonged to his father. Plot twist (if you can call it that, but it amazed child me haha) was that his father was some kind of important figure (a king? a nobleman? a clergyman?) before the mother left/was run out into the countyside and lived as a pauper (I think I remember they were serfs or something, and maybe harvested wheat or some other grain?) with her son.

If I remember correctly the cover of the book was golden and had the boy depicted on it holding the cross, and there was a number in roman numerals on it too (something like xvi, vii, something like that...)

I remember being fascinated by this book as a child and would love to find it again, thanks!

[Becca]

Sounds like The Cross of Lead by Avi, first book in the Crispin series

[[deleted user]]

That's it! Thank you! :D

[Kris]

Glad you found your book, Jamie.

The Cross of Lead (book 1) of the Crispin series by Avi - Becca's find.