Crusade is the first book by Elizabeth Laird that I've read. It features two boys, one a Christian from England, and one a Moslem from Acre. They are on opposite sides during one of Richard the Lionheart's crusades. At first, their stories alternate, but eventually they meet.
The book is a brilliant evocation of a distant time and place, with so much detail and so many vividly drawn characters - I particularly liked Dr Musa, the Jewish doctor: tetchy and immensely skilled, he has a heart as big as the planet, and Salim is fortunate indeed to be taken on by him as an apprentice. Given the subject matter, there is the opportunity for many contemporary resonances, and the author explores these thoroughly; through the character of Adam, we see how direct experience alters the way we perceive those we thought of as enemies. At the beginning of the book he has a simplistic attitude to the crusade, but by the end he is a far more tolerant and nuanced character, with a much deeper understanding of human nature and the effects of war - as is Salim, who grows immensely through the book.

I don't know whether these would be categorised as middle-grade or YA; I found them both hugely enjoyable. Crusade is thought-provoking, Halo is enchanting. Both are beautifully written.
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