The Trumpeter of Krakow

This is an okay book written by Eric Kelly and based on true events. It is late July in 1461 when young Joseph Charnetski and his family arrive in the great city of Krakow, Poland, with its glorious church towers and lively marketplace. The Charnetskis have come to Krakow to seek refuge with their relatives. They are faced with danger and adventure. First, a menacing stranger tries to take their pumpkin at sword point. Then a beautiful girl and her black-robed uncle befriend Joseph. Soon he and his family are caught up in the plots of alchemists, hypnotists, and a dark messenger of evil.

The book was published in 1928 and won the Newbery Medal in 1929. I found it interesting how the author mentioned some awful things that had happened in Poland's history and the novel was written a decade before the invasion by the Nazis.