Cool - historical fiction that reads like traditional fantasy. I really liked that neither the hero, nor any of the friends he gains along the way of the quest, are hero-material (except for maybe the horse), but that nonetheless they prove their mettle over and again.

The love story is heavy enough that I would not shelve this in juvenile, but rather recommend it for children age 12-15 who are willing to read about love. I don't mean sex, and I don't mean the superficial romance in many books, but actual love of a young man for a young woman. Nice to see it in a book that isn't aimed directly at girls. ( )

Reviewed by Candace Cunard for TeensReadToo.com

As an orphaned teenage jester in the court of a medieval German lord, Conrad doesn't enjoy the best treatment.

He entertains Lord Otto with acrobatics learned from his jester father, now dead, and he makes friends with others at the castle, but he sleeps in a stable and has few human comforts. When he receives a particularly painful beating for speaking out against Lord Otto's unjust taxing of the peasants under his control, he resolves to leave in search of his freedom, or at least for a lord who will not be as cruel.

He intends to leave alone, but his love, Christa, one of Lord Otto's servants, refuses to let him leave without her, and they travel the German countryside, Christa disguised as a boy. Along their journey they meet with hardships in the form of terrible weather, more cruel lords, and restrictive laws, but they also meet up with engaging characters. My personal favorite is a young boy, Second-Chance Max, whom Conrad and Christa save from death and who then travels with them, learning the ways of a jester.

It's a pleasure to watch the growth of Conrad from a boy jester who's still unsure of his place in the world to a young man capable of leading a company of friends in the jester's art.

This book paints a historically accurate picture of late 1300s Germany, and the author's enthusiasm for historical detail never gets in the way of the reader's understanding. If anything, it enhances the experience of the story. From the food Conrad eats to the people he meets to the places he sees, every detail helps to set the scene. It is a world in which his characterization seems natural and believable. The author includes a note upon the history of the time and a list of the sources she used for her research, so more ambitious or interested readers have an outlet for discovering more about the world of Conrad and Christa. ( )

Teenaged jester Conrad the Good escapes from his brutal lord Otto "the Witless," taking kitchen maid Christa (known for good reasons as "Christof" while on the road) with him. They are hindered in their plan to make their own way in the world as a married free couple by the legal status of jesters in 14th century Germany - essentially they have no rights whatsoever. This is as witty and moving an adventure as one could wish - Karr's trademark sense of humor is much in evidence, and she clearly identifies with her brave and resourceful jester. ( )