The Thief Knot

The Thief Knot

By Kate Milford

Marzana and Nialla are best friends who live in the Liberty of Gammerbund, just outside of Nagspeake.  Although the Liberty is a known haven for former smugglers, including Marzana’s mother, the girls feel that nothing exciting ever happens and they are dying for an adventure!

When Marzana learns that a girl called Peony Hyde has been kidnapped, she and Nialla decide that they are going to crack the case.  But first they need a crew.  They begin to confide in other kids who may be able to help: Emilia knows her way around all the secret passages in and out of their school, J.J. is a magician, and Ciro is a camofleur.  They are even able to recruit Meddy of Greenglass House fame.  They call themselves The Thief Knot.

The kids are all sworn to secrecy but determined to find the missing girl.  Shy Marzana becomes the leader of The Thief Knot and thrives in that role.  But as danger creeps closer and closer, Marzana wonders if she can really lead a bunch of kids through this dangerous but thrilling mystery.

The Thief Knot is part of the Greenglass House series.  If you love mysteries and adventure, with a little twist of magic, this series is highly recommended!

Show Me A Sign

Show Me A Sign

By Ann Clare LeZotte

It’s 1805, and Mary Lambert is living on Martha’s Vineyard, an island off the coast of Boston.  Mary is deaf, as are many others on Martha’s Vineyard.  But everyone on the island, whether hearing or not, is fluent in sign language – it’s part of island culture.

When Andrew Noble arrives from the mainland, Mary begins to wonder if there is something unusual about the island.  Andrew is intent on doing scientific research into the “problem” of deafness on Martha’s Vineyard. He treats the deaf as though they are beneath him and refuses to address them directly, which islanders consider rude.

Andrew is determined to prove his worth as a scientist and as such, decides to return to Boston with a “live specimen”.  When Andrew kidnaps Mary and throws her aboard his ship, she is stunned.  But her shock grows after her arrival in Boston, where she learns that the deaf are treated like animals.  She cannot communicate with anyone and she begins to question her own value as a person.  Will she ever get back to the safety of her island home?

Show Me A Sign shows us the ways in which different cultures have often been treated as worthless and the impact that this treatment has on those cultures.  The book also touches on the lives of the First Nations people of Martha’s Vineyard, the Wampanoag, and the lives of freed black people.  The author also provides readers with a history of deafness on Martha’s Vineyard and the evolution of sign language around the world.  An amazing and timely story!

Highly recommended!

The Barren Grounds

The Barren Grounds

By David A. Robertson

 

Morgan is a thirteen-year-old foster kid who was taken away from her mother when she was only three. She has lived with many different families, none of whom have ever made her feel truly at home.  By the time she moves in with Katie and James, she is just plain angry.

Eli is about a year younger than Morgan, but he was only taken from his family recently.  He remembers everything about them and his Indigenous community.  He misses them desperately, but now he must live with Katie and James too.

The good news is, Katie and James really want to be good parents and try their best to welcome Morgan and Eli into their home.  But when they buy Morgan a pair of moccasins to help her connect with her First Nations culture, Morgan loses her cool.  What do these white parents know about her culture anyway?

As Morgan and Eli try to find their footing in their new home, they discover a secret passageway in the attic.  After Eli disappears through the portal, Morgan goes after him.  Plunged into a blizzard, Morgan has no idea where to go.  When Ochek appears, he guides her to his home village where she finds Eli warm and dry.

But Ochek’s village is dying.  His world, known as Aski, is in perpetual winter, and there’s nothing left to eat.  As Morgan and Eli get to know Ochek, a fisher (who wears clothes and talks) and his squirrel companion, Arik, they decide to stay and help them get back to the Green Time, when the sun shone and game was plentiful.

Told as an allegory about the loss of Indigenous lands and culture, The Barren Grounds is a riveting fantasy novel.  Not only do the characters go on a quest through a wondrous landscape, but they also learn valuable lessons about their own strength of character and their own culture.  By the time Morgan and Eli return to their foster home, they are changed people, connected to the land, to their Indigenous communities and to each other.

The Barren Grounds is book one of the Misewa Saga.  Highly recommended!