The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly (published 1928) is an historical fiction novel featuring tradition, treasure, and alchemy in medieval Krakow. The Charnetski family has fled Ukraine after bandits robbed and burned their estate, and they arrive in Poland with nothing but a pumpkin in their cart. Joeseph, the young teenage son, is bewildered at the pumpkin but nevertheless eager for his new adventure in Poland.
While his father gets a job as the evening trumpeter for counting the hour, Joseph’s studies at the University are enlivened with the mystery of the hidden treasure hidden as well as the strange alchemist who lives upstairs.
Compared to other Newbery award winners and honors, The Trumpeter of Krakow has an interesting set of characters and mystery, written in strong language worthy of imitation (at least in terms of old books). But the sluggish plot is only briefly interrupted with action, such as when the Charnetski’s apartment is robbed, and when Joseph warns of attackers by playing on the trumpet, or when the alchemist tries mysterious experiments and there is later a fire in the city. None these events felt like a genuine climax that captured character change or propelled the plot forward, although any of them could have been an action-packed sequence that did so. Things just happened and then more time (months) passed, and then more things happened.
My children and I tried to read this together when we studied the middle ages, but very little kept our attention. As a read aloud, it was one of the boring ones that everyone wanted me to abandon part-way through. I am a big fan of classic literature that teaches about an era or emphasizes strong characters to be emulated. While the characters in The Trumpeter of Krakow were certainly good, the “good versus bad” line of black and white made them boring rather than worthy of immitation.
My children and I tried to read this together when we studied the middle ages, but very little kept our attention. As a read aloud, it was one of the boring ones that everyone wanted me to abandon part-way through. I am a big fan of classic literature that teaches about an era or emphasizes strong characters to be emulated. While the characters in The Trumpeter of Krakow were certainly good, the “good versus bad” line of black and white made them boring rather than worthy of immitation.
I know many in the homeschool community highlight The Trumpeter of Krakow as a great novel for adding to studies of the middle ages. It did mention some concepts from our history currciulum, such as the governmental union of Poland and Lithuania and the distinct history and variety of ethnic groups in the Russia-Ukraine area of the world at that time. But the Russian ethnic groups were stereotyped as the “bad actors” in the story, and the useful educational tidbits were so insignificant as to be essentially absent. As a story, it simply was too slow.
The ultimate resolution could have been, I guess, “magnificent,” since it dealt with the treasure that had been hidden throughout the story. But it didn’t feel like it was, and the characters hadn’t changed since page one. Joseph didn’t seem very different.
The Trumpeter of Krakow won the Newbery award in 1930. In my opinion (and it’s only mine! You may feel differently), it’s a book that is just “OKAY,” and say go ahead and “READ IT IF YOU HAVE TIME.” But it is not an historical fiction middle grade novel that I’d recommend along with a middle ages curriculum today. There are just so many other books out there. If only this one lived up to my hopes, the unique setting may have made it an interesting addition for giving a European perspective outside of the traditional tales.
Newbery rating scale: FANTASTIC | REALLY GOOD | PRETTY GOOD | OKAY | BLAH
What to do with this Newbery: KEEP IT AND READ IT | MAYBE IF YOU HAVE TIME | DON’T BOTHER
