Synopses & Reviews
"Even readers with little knowledge of (or interest in) British feudal systems and peasant revolts may find themselves engrossed in this unique fictional tale set in 1381 and told from a hunting dog's point of view." — PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (starred review) A Smarties Book Prize Bronze Award Winner
A VOICE OF YOUTH ADVOCATES Honor Book
A KLIATT Editors' Choice
"Branford's subtle, poetic writing . . . evokes both the splendor of nature and the turbulence of the times. The author's remarkable understanding of animal behavior and human tendencies reverberates throughout this eloquent historic tale." — PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (starred review)
"The exciting plot . . . never hits a false note as related through the
dog's sensibilities. . . . An ingenious tour de force." — SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (starred review)
Synopsis
Henrietta Branford's gripping novel depicts the tumult and tragedy of the Peasants' Revolt in England through the eyes, ears, and nose of a dog.
I am not, nor ever will be, truly wild. Because I have known fire, bed, and bone. Because I am a hunting dog, a dog who must work with a man...So says the old hunting dog who narrates this unforgettable tale. Living with poor but kindly Rufus and Comfort and their children, she has all a dog could ask for--fire, bed, and bone. But this is 1381 and unrest is spreading like a plague among the peasants of England, who are tired of the hardship and injustice they suffer at the hands of oppressive landlords. Rebellion is in the air, and life for man--and dog--is about to change forever...
About the Author
Henrietta Branford grew up in the countryside with "hunting, hunting dogs, and a library of very good, old books. My father taught me a great deal about animals from a shooting and fishing perspective. It was an extremely accurate and unsentimental way to learn about how an animal thinks." Henrietta Branford held a variety of jobs before she began writing at age forty, starting with a regular column in a local newspaper and then moving on to children's fiction.