Title - Crispin, The Cross of Lead Author: Avi Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children Print Synopsis Authors Purpose Genre Accused of a crime he did not commit, Crispin has been declared a "wolf's head." That means he may be killed on sight, by anyone. If he wishes to remain alive, he must flee his tiny village. Entertain Historical Fiction RDQ (Reading Difficulty Quotient) Accelerated Reader Lexile Find at 3576 7+ 1110 Amazon RDQ based on a maximum of 3000 words Levels are suggested levels based on RDQ, not official levels Sentences Total Words Different Words Max Word/Sent 49 Total # of Words 4190 # of Different Words 1248 Ave Word/.Sent 13 Hi Freq occurs 3016 72% # of Hi freq words 446 35.7% % of Long Sentences 26 Low Freq occurs 405 9.7% # of Low freq words 315 25.2% Subjective Criteria Illustrations: No support Vocabulary: Many difficult words Language: Many descriptive words Sentences: Some Long/Complex Text structure: Story/Poem Inferences: Several Implications Complexity: Several unrelated ideas Concepts: Abstract/Complex Social Chapters Prior Knowledge: Familiarity Sequence of Events: Chronological Mature Concepts: With some uncommon experiences Features Character traits Integral Setting - Historical Complex Problem/Solution Complex plot First Person Topics Mystery Self Esteem Slavery *Life Styles *Feelings, Behaviors Low Frequency Words ablaze absence abundant accepting accordingly advice affixed alterations amongst announced announcing apprehension archangel arched aroused ascent assault assembled assumed astride avail await aycliffe aycliffe's babble bailiff banished baptize barley blessed boundary bowels burden burial canonical caution cemetery chapel christendom circumstance clamor cloying commons concealed concerned confessions consequences construction contempt content contrast convinced cottar crofts curfew curiosity curious danes dangled daub decaying decree deigned depth descending despite destruction determine dismounted distinction distressed dizziness document doubt drenching earnest ease embedded emerge emerged engulfed ensnared entombed erected everlasting exception excused executioner fallow farthing fated firth flickering flint flitted folk forefathers forfeit forgiveness fortune further gabriel gallows garment gasping gazed gentleman glance gloved grandest grant grasp greatly greening grief grinding halting hardened harshly haste hateful height hell herbs hounding hurtling immediately impenetrable implore impoverished imprisonment increased infidels informed intent intentions jerusalem jests jibes judge judgment jury kerneled kin kindness kingdom kinsworthy knelt knight knowledge labor laden langland latin lawful level levels limits lngland lolls lowering manor manor's markings massive meandered mentioned mercenary merely midmorning midst millstone mocked moments mortality murk murmured muted mystic noble's northern numerous observe occurred odo offender's oft opportunity opposite outlaws overlooked paces packet panic parchment parish paupers peering penalty permission pinnacle plague platter plight plunge poaching prayers preach precisely priest priest's prime proclaiming protective public purpose pursue quarterpenny quilted quinel rambles recall recognized recurrence reeve reign relentless remainder required resided rhythmic riverbank rotting royal rutted saint satan scots scowled season serfs shaken shallow shields shunned sinful snatched sole solitary sorrow sought souls sowing speech stag stately steward steward's stocks stoop storage stout stranger's structure stunned suspicion swallows sweat sword sword's tangle tapestry taunt taunted tempted tensed thatch thorny timbers toll tolled tolling torch torchlight transfixed transgression trio tunic unable unfolded unforgiving unnamed unsettled untoward urgent utter varying vault villager villagers villeins wakefulness walled wallet warrior watered wattle whence whipping whirled wince wisdom withstand woodland wrath