Eloise Jarvis McGraw (1915–2000)

I think this was probably the third time I read this book to myself, not to mention the (at least) two times I listened to Mom read it aloud as I grew up. This book has been a family favorite for years. When my brothers and I were discussing some of our favorite books with a friend recently, this one came up—and my brothers ranked it pretty high in their favorites, too.

This book has all the marks of a good historical fiction. You feel like you’re there on the boat with Mara, tasting freedom for the first time in your life, or curled up in a booth in an inn watching people go about their normal lives, or working to come up with a clever response to a question meant to entrap you. Egypt and her culture is lush, vibrant, and beautiful through Mara’s eyes, and her people are tough, complex, and intriguing.

Then, aside from the setting and culture, this is one of the most intriguing double-spy scenarios I’ve ever come across in a book. Maybe it’s just that I haven’t come across many books like this (that’s probably quite likely, actually), but I loved how the author did it here. This book is full of adventure, quick-wittedness, and the danger accompanying trying to walk a tightrope between two dangerous enemies.

Engaging, captivating, sweet yet dangerous, Mara is the kind of heroine that makes a story worth reading. I love Sheftu, too, and the way he was so passionate about trying to make what he saw as right win in the end.

If you haven’t read this book, but enjoy historical fiction, I’d highly recommend you get yourself a copy. Better yet, find someone to read it aloud to—it’s a book that’s meant to be enjoyed and shared!… (more)

Half moorfolk and half human, and unable to shape-shift or disappear at will, Moql threatens the safety of the Band. So the Folk banish her and send her to live among humans as a changeling. Named Saaski by the couple for whose real baby she was swapped, she grows up taunted and feared by the villagers for being different, and is comfortable only on the moor, playing strange music on her bagpipes.

As Saaski grows up, memories from her forgotten past with the Folks slowly emerge. But so do emotions from her human side, and she begins to realize the terrible wrong the Folk have done to the humans she calls Da and Mumma. She is determined to restore their child to them, even if it means a dangerous return to the world that has already rejected her once.… (more)

Half moorfolk and half human, and unable to shape-shift or disappear at will, Moql threatens the safety of the Band. So the Folk banish her and send her to live among humans as a changeling. Named Saaski by the couple for whose real baby she was swapped, she grows up taunted and feared by the villagers for being different, and is comfortable only on the moor, playing strange music on her bagpipes.

As Saaski grows up, memories from her forgotten past with the Folks slowly emerge. But so do emotions from her human side, and she begins to realize the terrible wrong the Folk have done to the humans she calls Da and Mumma. She is determined to restore their child to them, even if it means a dangerous return to the world that has already rejected her once.… (more)