The Minstrel's Tale

By: Berit Haahr

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Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Judith of Nesscliff is a talented musician. If she had her way, she’d spend her life composing and playing. But in the England of the fourteenth century, girls can’t be musicians. Besides, Judith’s stepfather has decided it’s time she was married. It doesn’t matter that her husband is at least thirty years her senior and already has five daughters— some of them older than Judith; her stepfather thinks it’s a good match. Judith doesn’t agree. Disguised in boy’s clothing, Judith becomes Jude and runs away from home. With only a falcon for company, she sets out on a 200-mile journey, hoping to become one of the King’s Minstrels. Along the way, she is attacked by thieves and forced to fend off the advances of a young woman who thinks “Jude” would make an ideal husband. Through it all, Judith must chart a path that will allow her to live the life she longs for--and find love as well. Set against the colorful backdrop of medieval England, Berit Haahr’s first novel introduces an independent heroine who refuses to give up her dreams no matter what others expect of her. Ages 12 and up