It is the year 1203. Nine pilgrims travel from their home on the Welsh borders on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. One of them is Gatty, a 15 year-old young girl with a singing voice so beautiful it would make your soul ache. But there is a twist; some of them won't make it back. Gatty's Tale is a rite of passage novel, for over its course, a singular child becomes an even more singular woman.

It's an adventure story, full of wonders and terrors. It's a vivid presentation of a time when people did believe a pilgrimage could save a soul, when they did set out on a journey knowing it was very likely they would die on the way. It's a study of how a group of people interact when they are thrown together at such close quarters for months on end. It's a love story, too. Gatty's Tale is one of those books that is a mixture of different things.

Although I found that the book was well-written I generally found it a bit dull and boring. From my own point of view I do not think that a huge number of teenagers would enjoy the story. But I do think that Kevin Crossley-Holland is a fantastic author and writes his books very well.

But Gatty’s Tale is probably a book for adults and for people that have quite a bit of time.