Synopses & Reviews
Melkorka is a princess, the first daughter of a magnificent kingdom in mediand#230;val Ireland -- but all of this is lost the day she is kidnapped and taken aboard a marauding slave ship. Thrown into a world that she has never known, alongside people that her former country's laws regarded as less than human, Melkorka is forced to learn quickly how to survive. Taking a vow of silence, however, she finds herself an object of fascination to her captors and masters, and soon realizes that any power, no matter how little, can make a difference. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; Based on an ancient Icelandic saga, award-winning author Donna Jo Napoli has crafted a heartbreaking story of a young girl who must learn to forget all that she knows and carve out a place for herself in a new world -- all without speaking a word.
Review
"Spellbinding." -- Kirkus, starred review
Review
Napoli does an extraordinary job of using the first-person voice to keep readers in tune with Melkorka's maturing character; her beautifully recounted journey will stay with teens long after the book ends. Cheri Dobbs
Synopsis
Based on an ancient Icelandic folktake, this novel by the acclaimed author of "Bound" tells the story of a young girl who must learn to forget all that she knows and carve out a place for herself in the world--all without speaking a word.
About the Author
Donna Jo Napoli is an acclaimed and award-winning author of children's books. She won the Golden Kite Award for Stones in Water in 1997. Her novel Zel was named an American Bookseller Association Pick of the List, a Publishers Weekly Best Book, a BCCB Blue Ribbon, and a School Library Journal Best Book, and a number of her other novels have been selected as ALA Best Books. Her recent picture books include The Earth Shook and Mama Miti. Donna Jo is the head of the linguistics department at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, where she lives with her husband and their children. You can visit her online at donnajonapoli.com