[1] Instead of the typical narrative structure, the book is constructed of a series of monologues, each spoken by a young member of a medieval village.

The book was originally written to be performed by fifth-grade students at the Park School of Baltimore, where Schlitz is a librarian.

"[3] John Schwartz, in The New York Times, called Schlitz a "talented storyteller" and praised the book for its frank depiction of the Middle Ages.

[4] Nina Lindsay, chair of the Newbery Medal committee, called the monologues "superb" and stated that as a whole, they "create a pageant that transports readers to a different time and place.

in a School Library Journal article as one of several recent Newbery winners considered "particularly disappointing" by public librarians.