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THE STOLEN ONE

Mystery and magic surround Katherine “Kat” Bab, a spirited 16-year-old with wild red hair her omen-wary adoptive mother Grace calls “wolf bait.” Kat, who never knew her birth parents, is told no one wants her—except for the farmer’s son she’s expected to marry. Independent-minded Kat wants no part of it and sets off for London with her deaf sister Anna to unearth the truth of her parentage. When Queen Elizabeth zeroes in on fellow redhead Kat in a chance street encounter, the country lass goes royal: Her extraordinary embroidering skills land her in the queen’s court, and the plot thickens as Kat finds herself circled by eager suitors… and those jealous of her sudden intimacy with the queen. Is she, as is rumored, the Virgin Queen’s daughter? Clues to Kat’s true identity are dropped for readers like Hansel and Gretel’s breadcrumbs. As they revel in Kat’s clear-as-a-bell, first-person observations of Tudor England’s dangerous liaisons and fairy-tale gowns, teens will also relate to a girl who struggles not only to find her place but to know her heart. (epilogue, family tree, author’s note) (Historical fiction. 14 & up)

Pub Date: June 1, 2009

ISBN: 978-0-06-123200-8

Page Count: 416

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2009

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GIRL IN PIECES

This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.

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After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.

Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her—who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves—Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together.

This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14 & up)

Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-101-93471-5

Page Count: 416

Publisher: Delacorte

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016

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THE CRUEL PRINCE

From the Folk of the Air series , Vol. 1

Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.

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Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.

Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.

Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)

Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7

Page Count: 384

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017

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