In the year 1203, nine companions set out from Wales on a great pilgrimage across Europe to Jerusalem. Not all of them will come home.

Will Gatty be one of the nine that doesn’t return?

Gatty’s Tale is about Gatty, a fifteen year old field worker who lives at Caldicot (owned by Lord and Lady Caldicot).

Gatty’s life is simple until she swaps working in the fields, for working in the kitchens. As Gatty works, she sings – which opens a big door for her.

News comes one day that Lady Helen de Caldicot’s sister (Lady Gwyneth de Ewloe) is going on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and would like Gatty to go with her as her second chamber-servant. Lady Gwyneth also mentions that Gatty’s voice will be like a charm and keep all the pilgrims safe. But is this the case?

Challenge and difficulty are both on the cards as the nine pilgrims trek to Jerusalem.

Gatty’s Tale has a slow start to the main story, and takes a while to get in to. Having said this, the first few chapters of the book were my favourites. You get to know Gatty and her outgoing character. She is so likeable, which made me want to read more. I found that once I’d skipped the unnecessary description and detail, the story underneath was not great.

Forcing myself to read through, it started getting a bit more interesting. The best part of the actual story was where the pilgrims were in Venice, and an unwanted twist left me wanting to know what Gatty and her companions were going to do, so I had to turn the pages! 

However much I praise the beginning and middle sections of the book, it will not compensate for the poor ending. I found that Crossley-Holland rushed the ending to Gatty’s Tale, which was a huge disappointment because I really enjoyed reading the earlier stages of this book. 

Overall 7/10.