Mally Biddle is a young girl living on a farm with her widowed mother. She spends most of her days chasing her goats and trying to convince them to come home. It isn't an especially exciting life, but she is happy. Well, happy if you don't count the bullying, thieving knights that come to collect "taxes" and threaten the people of her village. Since the King of Lenzar was murdered many years before, the new king has allowed the knights to rule the country with cruelty and fear. Mally feels powerless until she joins a band of rebels. Their mission is to find out if the King's infant daughter really did die of a fever all those years ago, depriving the kingdom of it's rightful heir. To do so, Mally is hired at the castle as a servant where she can learn more of the circumstances surrounding the princess's death.
This was a delightful book filled with excitement and more than a little espionage. Mally is a bright, strong character that is far from happy playing the delicate victim. She speaks up for herself and stands up for what is right, she doesn't hide her talents, but uses them to help those around her and she is loyal and protective of her friends and family. While I admit it was a bit predictable, it was still a fun read. This would be a fantastic book for a young girl and I think boys would enjoy the adventure in it as well. I especially appreciate that it is a book I could recommend to a ten- or twelve-year-old and not worry about inappropriate content. It is a very sweet book and very well written. I really think you will enjoy it.
No comments:
Post a Comment