Historical: "Hush: An Irish Princess' Tale"

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Napoli, Donna Jo. Hush: An Irish Princess' Tale. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2007.

When the daughter of a king is captured and enslaved, she learns that silence can be a powerful weapon.

Melkorka, daughter of one of the ancient kings of Eire land, is giddy with excitement as she sweeps through Dublin in celebration of her fifteenth birthday. At the height of her merriment, an ax sweeps through the air and a sudden scream pierces the street. Unbenownst to Melkorka that random act of aggression will split her world apart forever.

It is a time of battles and grudges and this recent act of brutality will not go unpunished. As her father plans his revenge on the vikings who have left her brother mutilated and writhing in pain, she is forced to flee with her sister Brigid. They are to follow the coastal path that will lead them to the ringfort where they will be taken in.

Disaster strikes and they are thrown onto a slave ship heading north. Stubbornness, bitter cold, and Melkorka's silence combine to create a facade that she hopes will keep her captors apprehensive so they will keep their distance. As her exterior turns to ice, inside she finds her old prejudices and beliefs melting away.

Will Melkorka's vow of silence be enough to keep them alive until they are close enough to shore to escape? What has happened to her family in Downpatrick? Read this coming-of-age tale to find out if freedom can be won with a will and a Hush.

Texas Tayshas Reading Lists. YALSA Best Books for Young Adults.

Historical: "Crispin: The Cross of Lead"

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Avi. Crispin: The Cross of Lead. New York: Hyperion, 2002.

Stripped of his family, his home and his possessions, thirteen year old Crispin finds himself enslaved and then befriended by a giant juggler called Bear.

Declared a "wolf's head" and on the run for a crime he did not commit, Crispin flees into the woods and into still more trouble. Enslaved by a giant of a man called Bear with ruddy red hair and beard, he is soon taught to play the recorder for his massive masters tricks. As Crispin is pursued by his enemies, he and the Bear head for Great Wexly where wolves are at the door and intrigue lines the streets.

Nearing the gate and a gauntlet of soldiers, Bear put a hand on Crispin's shoulder. "Crispen," he said softly, "try to show less worry. The worst disguise is fear."

"What if they stop me?"

"I don't think they will. But if they do, always remember what I told you; run away. Head into a crowd. Your size will hide you."

In this novel of medieval England, we learn that great friendship carries great responsibility and a cross of lead can be the key to freedom.

ALA Notable Children's Books. Newbery Medal.

Historical: "Catherine, Called Birdy"

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Cushman, Karen. Catherine, Called Birdy. New York: HarperTrophy, 1994.

Looking for romance but about to be sold off to a shaggy-bearded revolting brute, Catherine plots to escape her fate.

Catherine, called Birdy, is a dainty damsel living in medieval England. Dainty that is when she's not rebelling against her "lady lessons" and a beast of a father ready to sell her to the highest bidder. "Corpus Bones!"

Catherine chronicles her young, rebellious and restless days in this day-by-day account of a young lady looking for romance while avoiding the revolting suitors her father has lined up for her.

In a time when girls were traded in marriage for wealth and status, is there hope for Catherine, a slip of a girl with big ideas, also known as Birdy?

Golden Kite Award. YALSA 100 Best Books (1950-2000). ALA Notable Children's Books. Newbery Honor Book. Booklist Editors' Choice. Parents' Choice Awards.

Historical: "Dogboy"

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Russell, Christopher. Dogboy. New York : Greenwillow Books, 2006.

Raised with dogs. Thrust into battle. Brind must find the courage to make his way home.

Who is Brind and why does he race over fallen oak and slippery mud with a pack of Sir Edmond Dowe's mastiffs? This novel of aggression and loyalty, revenge and love reads like an adventure movie complete with narrow escapes and twisting plot lines.

Set in medieval times, Brind, the Dogboy, was raised with a litter of mongrel pups and has lived with dogs ever since. When Sir Edmond heads to France to the Battle of Crécy, he takes Brind and the pack of dogs with him. He plans for Brind to control the dogs until the exact right moment when he will unleash them on the French as weapons of mass destruction.

As Brind travels across the French countryside shadows of darkness and mystery stretch far across that foreign land. But Brind is not alone and it is through Glaive, the most powerful dog in the pack, and Aurélie, a girl at war with herself, that Brind will discover just who he is and where he, the Dogboy, finally belongs.