The Beatryce Prophecy
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- Create Date：2021-10-23 06:51:45
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Kate DiCamillo
- ISBN：1529500893
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Summary
From two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo and two-time Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall comes a fantastical meditation on fate， love， and the power of words to spell the world。
We shall all， in the end， be led to where we belong。 We shall all， in the end， find our way home。
In a time of war， a mysterious child appears at the monastery of the Order of the Chronicles of Sorrowing。 Gentle Brother Edik finds the girl， Beatryce， curled in a stall， wracked with fever， coated in dirt and blood， and holding fast to the ear of Answelica the goat。 As the monk nurses Beatryce to health， he uncovers her dangerous secret， one that imperils them all--for the king of the land seeks just such a girl， and Brother Edik， who penned the prophecy himself， knows why。
And so it is that a girl with a head full of stories--powerful tales-within-the-tale of queens and kings， mermaids and wolves--ventures into a dark wood in search of the castle of one who wishes her dead。 But Beatryce knows that， should she lose her way， those who love her--a wild-eyed monk， a man who had once been king， a boy with a terrible sword， and a goat with a head as hard as stone--will never give up searching for her， and to know this is to know everything。 With its timeless themes， unforgettable cast， and magical medieval setting， Kate DiCamillo's lyrical tale， paired with resonant black-and-white illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall， is a true collaboration between masters。
We shall all， in the end， be led to where we belong。 We shall all， in the end， find our way home。
In a time of war， a mysterious child appears at the monastery of the Order of the Chronicles of Sorrowing。 Gentle Brother Edik finds the girl， Beatryce， curled in a stall， wracked with fever， coated in dirt and blood， and holding fast to the ear of Answelica the goat。 As the monk nurses Beatryce to health， he uncovers her dangerous secret， one that imperils them all--for the king of the land seeks just such a girl， and Brother Edik， who penned the prophecy himself， knows why。
And so it is that a girl with a head full of stories--powerful tales-within-the-tale of queens and kings， mermaids and wolves--ventures into a dark wood in search of the castle of one who wishes her dead。 But Beatryce knows that， should she lose her way， those who love her--a wild-eyed monk， a man who had once been king， a boy with a terrible sword， and a goat with a head as hard as stone--will never give up searching for her， and to know this is to know everything。 With its timeless themes， unforgettable cast， and magical medieval setting， Kate DiCamillo's lyrical tale， paired with resonant black-and-white illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall， is a true collaboration between masters。
Reviews
Becky
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First sentence: Answelica was a goat with teeth that were the mirror of her soul—large， sharp， and uncompromising。 One of the goat’s favorite games was to lull the monks of the Order of the Chronicles of Sorrowing into a sense of complacency by arranging her features in a benign and indifferent expression。 For weeks， she would bite no one。 When approached， she would merely stare into the distance as if she were considering something profound。 And then， when the brothers had relaxed their guard， First sentence: Answelica was a goat with teeth that were the mirror of her soul—large， sharp， and uncompromising。 One of the goat’s favorite games was to lull the monks of the Order of the Chronicles of Sorrowing into a sense of complacency by arranging her features in a benign and indifferent expression。 For weeks， she would bite no one。 When approached， she would merely stare into the distance as if she were considering something profound。 And then， when the brothers had relaxed their guard， thinking that perhaps， somehow， Answelica had changed， the goat would come from behind and butt them in the backside as hard as she was able。 She was very strong， and she had a very hard head。 Because of this， the goat was able to send the monks flying great distances through the air。 When they landed， she bit them。 She was a goat who formed peculiar and inexplicable antipathies， taking an intense dislike to certain individuals。Premise/plot: How much do YOU need to know about a book before reading it？ For some， knowing that it is Kate DiCamillo's newest book might just do the trick。 Her books are just that good。 For others， knowing that it is set in the middle ages might be reason enough。 Combined those reasons might lead to some high expectations。Brother Edik， a monk in the Order of the Chronicles of Sorrowing， discovers a sick （possibly dying） child near the monastery being guarded by the notorious goat， Answelica。 The goat has taken quite a liking （and this is the goat that hates everybody） to the young unconscious girl。 It seems clear cut and obvious that it is right to take her in and try to heal her。。。 But the girl's recovery seems to have a different set of risks。。。 Someone--the king and his advisor（s）--are determined to find the girl。 But their intentions with the girl， well， it isn't looking good。Of course that's just the tip of the iceberg in terms of plot。 The less you know the better--in my humble opinion。My thoughts: I really love Kate DiCamillo。 I don't automatically love， love， love medieval settings。 I don't。 But when it is beautifully written by one of my favorite authors。。。。I'm going to lean towards loving it。 I really enjoyed the writing， the relationships， and the detailing of the plot。 I love how DiCamillo weaves stories together piece by piece until suddenly everything clicks into place and there's a thing of beauty。QuotesThe monk—terrified， undone—would scream， too。The monk and the goat would then engage in a duet of screaming until the goat was satisfied and trotted away looking beatific， leaving behind her a trembling， weeping monk。The brothers of the Order of the Chronicles of Sorrowing would have liked to butcher her， but they were afraid of the ghost of Answelica。The monks agreed among themselves that the ghost of the goat would surely be more vicious and determined， more impossible to outwit， than the flesh-and-blood goat。How would she seek her revenge from the afterworld？It beggared the imagination to consider what the ghost goat would do。And so she lived。Which is just as well。Which is， in fact， wonderful。Because without the goat， Beatryce surely would have died。And then where would we be？All of this took place during a time of war。 Sadly， this does not distinguish it from any other time; it was always a time of war。“And what are the Chronicles of Sorrowing？” asked Beatryce。“The Chronicles tell the story of what has happened and of things that might yet happen， those things which have been prophesied。”“Sorrowing，” said Beatryce。 The word was a heavy one。 “It does not sound like a happy book， a joyful book。”“Alas，” said Brother Edik， “it is not。”“Well， then，” said Beatryce， “that is not a book I would care to read。”What does it mean to be brave？This was a question that Brother Edik asked himself as he walked through the dark woods with Jack Dory and Cannoc and Answelica。To be brave is to not turn away。To be brave is to go forward。To be brave is to love。Brother Edik was not turning away。 He was going forward。And he loved。 This， Brother Edik could do—did do—best of all。Still， he could not keep himself from trembling。And he could not stop the words of the prophecy from tumbling through his mind:A girl childunseat a kinggreat change。 。。。more
Maureen
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This book is so wonderful - I am going to read it again right now！
Stacey Meyer
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I always love a good Kate DiCamillo book！
The Reading Countess
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I love Kate DiCamillo。 Specifically， I love The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane。 What a gorgeous story about love and redemption。 The Beatryce Prophecy is a gorgeous idea of a book。 It has lore and is set in the medieval times and it reminded me of another master story teller， Adam Gidwitz， and his book The Inquisitor's Tale。 But whenever you try to pair medieval times with middle grade readers， I think you are flirting with fire。 That's a hard time frame to sell to newly minted readers。 I c I love Kate DiCamillo。 Specifically， I love The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane。 What a gorgeous story about love and redemption。 The Beatryce Prophecy is a gorgeous idea of a book。 It has lore and is set in the medieval times and it reminded me of another master story teller， Adam Gidwitz， and his book The Inquisitor's Tale。 But whenever you try to pair medieval times with middle grade readers， I think you are flirting with fire。 That's a hard time frame to sell to newly minted readers。 I could be wrong about this one。 I hope I am， and that it finds a home in the hearts and on the shelves of as many MG readers as possible。 I think， though， that Adam and Kate should probably meet up for some coffee and some well deserved high fives for such intricate tales followed by a few choked sobs that their audience just didn't get it。I did， though; but then again， I'm not the audience。 。。。more
Barb Middleton
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Another winner！
Laura
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This is a book about love， the power of stories， and learning how to live in a world that’s full of sorrow and fear， yet choosing to do what’s true， good， and noble。 I believe that this is a story that will become more beloved with multiple rereads。 It has a simple story line， but in typical DiCamillo form， it has subtle depths that grapple with the meaning of life and love。 Her stories often have a heavy nuance to them。 Sometimes I feel like I’m beneath an ominous storm cloud as I read a DiCami This is a book about love， the power of stories， and learning how to live in a world that’s full of sorrow and fear， yet choosing to do what’s true， good， and noble。 I believe that this is a story that will become more beloved with multiple rereads。 It has a simple story line， but in typical DiCamillo form， it has subtle depths that grapple with the meaning of life and love。 Her stories often have a heavy nuance to them。 Sometimes I feel like I’m beneath an ominous storm cloud as I read a DiCamillo book， but then she pens eloquent rays of sunshine that dapple the pages with hope， beauty， and emboldenment to the heart。 This one isn’t any different。 It’s a story that a wide range of ages will be able to enjoy。 I listened to this one as an audio， and found it to be done very well。 I look forward to rereading this in the future。 。。。more
Vickie McEntire
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The Beatryce Prophecy may well be the crowning jewel in Kate DiCamillo's crown of books。 I will read it again to uncover the hidden treasures I am sure I missed on the first reading。 She has struck a chord at the very heart and meaning of life--Love。 Like a child in the classroom circle， I wanted to hear the next chapter， and the next。 I am grateful to have been touched with such a hopeful story。 The Beatryce Prophecy may well be the crowning jewel in Kate DiCamillo's crown of books。 I will read it again to uncover the hidden treasures I am sure I missed on the first reading。 She has struck a chord at the very heart and meaning of life--Love。 Like a child in the classroom circle， I wanted to hear the next chapter， and the next。 I am grateful to have been touched with such a hopeful story。 。。。more
Molly Grimmius
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This was exactly the read I needed at this time。 Finished in one day。 Once again Kate Dicamillo says so much about themes so dee with characters so beautiful in the fewest pages possible and I love her for that。 Set in a time that could be future or past where wars are a plenty and kings rule and only the noble and males are educated and prophecies are listened to9。 We start with a goat。。 a demon goat that leads to Beatrice a girl who can read and a monk with a wondering eye and a beggar with mo This was exactly the read I needed at this time。 Finished in one day。 Once again Kate Dicamillo says so much about themes so dee with characters so beautiful in the fewest pages possible and I love her for that。 Set in a time that could be future or past where wars are a plenty and kings rule and only the noble and males are educated and prophecies are listened to9。 We start with a goat。。 a demon goat that leads to Beatrice a girl who can read and a monk with a wondering eye and a beggar with more to his past then you realize and Jack Dory and his sorrow。 Oh I just loved how it was brought to together… the underlining love of love and reading throughout！ Beautiful。 。。。more
Claire Talbot
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An interesting historical fiction that reads like a fable， with a quirky， wonderful cast of characters。 A fast read！
Ann
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Setting and tone were intertwined in this one for me。 It's a vaguely medieval European setting， but the fact that it doesn't quite make sense in a real-world context is fine because the tone makes it clear that this is a quasi-fantastical story， not one grounded in reality。 The author is exploring themes of love and community， and not particularly interested in recreating historically accurate setting， and that's fine。 I was disappointed that the smelly angel aspect of the soldier's confession w Setting and tone were intertwined in this one for me。 It's a vaguely medieval European setting， but the fact that it doesn't quite make sense in a real-world context is fine because the tone makes it clear that this is a quasi-fantastical story， not one grounded in reality。 The author is exploring themes of love and community， and not particularly interested in recreating historically accurate setting， and that's fine。 I was disappointed that the smelly angel aspect of the soldier's confession was not explored at all。 Why this murder out of all of the many？ Because it was children？ Where did the angel come from， and what does "angel" mean in this world where monks are important community members but God or any sort of higher power is never ever mentioned？ Which actually makes me start to wonder about the choice of this vaguely European middle ages setting。 On the one hand， the many allusions to that sort of Central Casting storybook setting helps set the tone of being a Story with a capital S。 On the other hand， it also allows us to poke some holes。 If war is a constant in this land （which it says several times that it was， and if there have been "many" kings in the last thirty or so years that makes sense） then the idea that someone can just waltz in， declare himself king and then set up a random woman as Queen despite all tradition， laws of inheritance， etc without being met with violence is ridiculous。 It's clear that we're meant to not think that hard about it， this is a Story， not realistic or historical。 But I *do* think about it。 How did the soldiers even recognize the true king， when he's been away for decades and soldiering is a young man's game？I actually really liked this book， despite the apparent criticisms。 The repetition of certain phrases swung back and forth for me， sometimes feeling like they were setting a rhythm in the story and other times making me think "this is how the author is trying to make the book feel literary"。 As a kid - the intended audience - I don't think I'd have that meta-awareness and would have just enjoyed it。 。。。more
Mary Judy
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This is a beautifully crafted fable， filled with courage and love。 Set in a Middle Ages styled landscape， each scene is described with such exquisite economy of language; clear， poignant， carefully selected; that you don’t so much read the story as feel it。 It is possessed of a timeless nature; old but ever new; real and true， but dreamlike。 The characters reveal their own stories and personalities， their gifts and challenges， through the weaving of the story， each one suited perfectly to the ro This is a beautifully crafted fable， filled with courage and love。 Set in a Middle Ages styled landscape， each scene is described with such exquisite economy of language; clear， poignant， carefully selected; that you don’t so much read the story as feel it。 It is possessed of a timeless nature; old but ever new; real and true， but dreamlike。 The characters reveal their own stories and personalities， their gifts and challenges， through the weaving of the story， each one suited perfectly to the role they play。 Beatryce with her matter-of-fact honesty， resourcefulness and boldness。 Brother Edik with a past that left him uncertain， doubting， yet filled with the determination only love can bring。 Jack Dory; the lost boy; fearless， quick-footed， a true friend and defender。 A long forgotten king。 A useless ruling one and the real power behind the throne…a truly unscrupulous villain。 And Answelica the goat… All come together to create a tale of wonder。 A story of stories; of the power of reading and writing; of words coming together to open up the whole world， for all our eyes to see; to change things， to bring life， with all its’ joys and troubles to light。 An absolutely remarkable， beautiful book; compelling， heartfelt， enchanting， humourous， filled with hope and determination…and completely extraordinary。 。。。more
Jae
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A wonderful story with， as always by Kate DiCamillo， some great characters， including a very feisty goat！ The beautiful illustrations by Sophie Blackall suit the book perfectly。
LeeAnna Weaver
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Aren’t young readers lucky to have Kate DiCamillo’s books？ I feel lucky， too。 I think about her stories long after I turn the final page。 This beautifully written book is a gentle reminder of the importance of love and forgiveness， and the power of stories to enrich our lives。 I hope this one is a serious contender for the Newbery Medal。
Mhd
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Probably aimed at 10-12yr-olds。 But I certainly enjoyed it。 Sweet， positive， some suspense but you know it's going to work out。 Unlike DiCamillo's Ulysses， the goat does not talk but still steals the show。 Promotes reading in more ways than one。 Probably aimed at 10-12yr-olds。 But I certainly enjoyed it。 Sweet， positive， some suspense but you know it's going to work out。 Unlike DiCamillo's Ulysses， the goat does not talk but still steals the show。 Promotes reading in more ways than one。 。。。more
Kristina Hurd
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I love Kate DiCamillo and will forever read everything she writes。 This was a beautiful story and a very enjoyable read
Gina
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What I love about Kate DiCamillo is that all her stories are different。 There are some I have loved， others I did not like but I feel there is something to read for everyone。
Pat
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This is a beautiful book， both in its story and in its physical aesthetic。 Its pages mimic the gorgeously illuminated pages of medieval manuscripts。 The story is inspirational no matter what age you are， and it is the first book I've read in forever that I wanted to start re-reading as soon as I finished it。 This is a beautiful book， both in its story and in its physical aesthetic。 Its pages mimic the gorgeously illuminated pages of medieval manuscripts。 The story is inspirational no matter what age you are， and it is the first book I've read in forever that I wanted to start re-reading as soon as I finished it。 。。。more
Catherine Smith Denman
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An amazing story about the transformative power of being loved/beloved。
Terry Krikke
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4。5 read
Alisha Levasseur
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I loved this book。 I love everything this author writes。 It really hits you in the heart and make you realize what is truly important in life。 Her books are written simply， and are marked as children's books， but they fully hold up under adult attention and scrutiny。 I loved this book。 I love everything this author writes。 It really hits you in the heart and make you realize what is truly important in life。 Her books are written simply， and are marked as children's books， but they fully hold up under adult attention and scrutiny。 。。。more
Eileen Sweeney
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This was an interesting （YA） read but I couldn't help but feel it was so dark， I wouldn't want to share it with someone younger than 7th grade。 I also had a hard time with the monks speaking prophecies about the secular kingdom etc。 Not enough separation of church and state for me！ This was an interesting （YA） read but I couldn't help but feel it was so dark， I wouldn't want to share it with someone younger than 7th grade。 I also had a hard time with the monks speaking prophecies about the secular kingdom etc。 Not enough separation of church and state for me！ 。。。more
Kristina Skinner
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Kate DiCamillo is a masterful storyteller！ She expresses profound messages within such simple stories。 I will admit that this wasn’t my favorite of her book， but it was a treasure to read。 The characters were so lovable。
Branwen Sedai *of the Brown Ajah*
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Kate DiCamillo does it again！ Another heartwarming masterpiece！
TheNextGenLibrarian
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“We shall all， in the end， be led to where we belong。 We shall all， in the end， find our way home。”🐐 During a war there is a prophecy: there will be a girl who will challenge the crown。 Enter Beatryce: a mysterious child who shows up at the monastery of the Order of the Chronicles of Sorrowing。 She has no memory， but looks like she’s been through unspeakable perils。 Beatryce can read and write—something no one can do other than royalty and men of God。 With the help of a wild-eyed monk， a man who “We shall all， in the end， be led to where we belong。 We shall all， in the end， find our way home。”🐐 During a war there is a prophecy: there will be a girl who will challenge the crown。 Enter Beatryce: a mysterious child who shows up at the monastery of the Order of the Chronicles of Sorrowing。 She has no memory， but looks like she’s been through unspeakable perils。 Beatryce can read and write—something no one can do other than royalty and men of God。 With the help of a wild-eyed monk， a man who had once been king， a boy with a terrible sword， and a goat who is protective of Beatryce， they go on a journey with her then fight to find her。 This magical medieval story will take you on a fantastic trek to right wrongs。🖋 This MG fantasy book reminded me of the time The Princess Bride is set in， as well as Stepsister and Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly。 This timeless story had great characters， themes and will suck readers in with its illustrations and writing。 It shows how important knowledge such as reading and writing are to our society。3 ⭐️ 。。。more
Christina Karvounis
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I adore Kate DiCamillo。 I love Sophie Blackall。 I could not get into this book。 Interesting premise， plausible characters…plot plodded， very little playfulness。 I would not recommend this to my 4/5th graders; too complicated-adult-like read。
Sandy
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A delightful book。 What a good author。 I love the time period。 The plot was well done。 I loved the illustrations。 My only complaint would be that the book was wrapped so tidy and neat in just a few pages。
Barbara Lovejoy
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What a charming and delightful book。 Loved the characters， especially the goat。
Liz Todd
，
The Great Kate DiCamillo… loneliness， loss， animals， friendship， love…and the power of words and stories。 The repeated refrain in this book feels like the ultimate summative Kate D sentiment: “We shall all， in the end， be led to where we belong。 We shall all， in the end， find our way home。”
Melinda
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Classic fairytale that also fights the patriarchy， swoony language， beautiful artwork， righteously vengeful goat。
Sally
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Lyrical versea powerful， memorable goat character。a king who abandoned his kingdoma family to wanted education for all their children， even the girlWorth the hold wait。 I didn't finish in one setting， I got hooked as the journey toward the castle started。pg 152"She had understood then that the world--and the spacer beyond it--was filled with marvel upon marvel， too many marvels to ever count。"pg 177（Jack Dorey） "Seemingly， the heart could hold a untold amount of things--letters and people and go Lyrical versea powerful， memorable goat character。a king who abandoned his kingdoma family to wanted education for all their children， even the girlWorth the hold wait。 I didn't finish in one setting， I got hooked as the journey toward the castle started。pg 152"She had understood then that the world--and the spacer beyond it--was filled with marvel upon marvel， too many marvels to ever count。"pg 177（Jack Dorey） "Seemingly， the heart could hold a untold amount of things--letters and people and goats and bees。"pg 183words spoken by the wise queen "We shall all， in the end， be led to where we belong。We shall all， in the end， find our way home。" 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Beatryce Prophecy
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Beatryce Prophecy&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Beatryce Prophecy&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0