About the Author

J. Anderson Coats has master's degrees in history and library science and has published short stories in numerous literary magazines and anthologies. She is the author of the acclaimed novels The Wicked and the Just, The Many Reflections of Miss Jane Deming, R Is for Rebel, The Green Children of Woolpit, and The Night Ride, as well as A Season Most Unfair and The Unexpected Lives of Ordinary Girls. She lives with her family in Washington State. Visit her at JAndersonCoats.com.

Reviews

"Historical fiction master Coats invents a country and a history all her own to create the fully realized, inspirational protagonist Malley . . . Descriptions are at times graphic, but the realistic details only make Malley a more believable and empathetic character . . . An empowering and timely story about resistance."-- "Booklist"

"Themes of the cost of freedom and the power of identity shine through in powerful ways. Malley is a rebel to her core and her spirit won't let her accept the idea of submitting, especially not after what happened to her parents. While the nations depicted are imaginary, the connections to colonialism and past/present efforts to rub out supposedly inferior cultures is unmistakable. A strong purchase with powerful themes that will stick with readers."-- "School Library Journal"

"Malley is an engaging narrator whose gradual maturation adds an endearing layer to her character. . . . Although the book is set in a fictional semi-industrialized world, readers are likely to notice parallels from history . . . as well as themes, such as the complications that arise from ideological purity, that resonate with current political discussion."--The Horn Book