Synopses & Reviews
Melkorka is a princess, the first daughter of a magnificent kingdom in mediaeval 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.
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.
Review
andlt;divandgt;"Spellbinding."-- andlt;iandgt;Kirkus,andlt;/iandgt; starred reviewandlt;/divandgt;
Review
andlt;divandgt;"Spellbinding." -- Kirkus, starred review
Review
"Spellbinding." -- andlt;iandgt;Kirkus,andlt;/iandgt; starred review
Review
"This humorous, frank look at life in the medical quarters in medieval times shows readers that love and compassion, laughter and companionship, are indeed the best medicine." School Library Journal, Starred
The "fascinating information [in the afterword] is just as interesting as Matilda's tale." Horn Book
Editor's Pick. Highly Recommended. "It has become my favorite Cushman book." Book Report
"The plight of thirteen-year-old Matilda will capture readers' imaginations and hearts." VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)
"Reader's who've appreciated Cushman's medieval visions will want to travel back with her again here." The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Synopsis
A silent girl. andlt;BRandgt; An awesome power. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt; Melkorka is an Irish princess, the first daughter of a magnificent kingdom -- but this all changes the day she is kidnapped and taken aboard a marauding slave ship. Trapped in a world both unfamiliar and cruel, Melkorka finds that her powerlessness gives her clarity. That she is the master of what she says. Choosing to take a vow of silence, Melkorka becomes an object of fascination to her captors. And then she realizes that any power, no matter how little, can make a difference.
Synopsis
A silent girl.
An awesome power.
Melkorka is an Irish princess, the first daughter of a magnificent kingdom -- but this all changes the day she is kidnapped and taken aboard a marauding slave ship. Trapped in a world both unfamiliar and cruel, Melkorka finds that her powerlessness gives her clarity. That she is the master of what she says. Choosing to take a vow of silence, Melkorka becomes an object of fascination to her captors. And then she realizes that any power, no matter how little, can make a difference.
Synopsis
Another winning medieval era novel with an incomparable heroine by the Newbery medalist Karen Cushman. With witty dialogue and richly authentic detail, Cushman tells the story of a girl who is transported from her days of study and prayer at the manor to become a bonesetter's assistant in the slums of an English village.
Synopsis
"Will capture readers' imaginations and hearts." —VOYA To Blood and Bone Alley, home of leech, barber-surgeon, and apothecary, comes Matilda, raised by a priest to be pious and learned, and now destined to assist Red Peg the Bonesetter. Matilda is appalled by the worldliness of her new surroundings and yearns for the days at the manor when all she did was study and pray. Filled with the witty dialogue and richly authentic detail that Karen Cushman's work is known for, Matilda Bone is a compelling comic novel about a girl who learns to see herself and others clearly, to laugh, and to live contentedly in this world.
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