THE STOLEN ONE

Author: Suzanne Crowley ISBN: 9780061232015 6/2009 YOUNG ADULT/HISTORICAL Publisher: GREENWILLOW
Time Period: 1500s England

No one wanted you. But I did. Kat's true identity is a secret, even from her. All she has ever known are Grace and Anna and their small village. Kat wants more—more than hours spent embroidering finery for wealthy ladies and more than Christian, the gentle young farmer courting her. But there are wolves outside, Grace warns Waiting, with their eyes glowing in the dark . . . and Grace has given Kat safety and a home when no one else would. Then a stranger appears in their cottage, bringing the mystery of Kat's birth with her. In one night, Kat's destiny finds her: She will leave. She will journey to London, and her skill with the needle will attract the notice of the magnificant Queen Elizabeth—and of the wolves of the court. She will discover what Grace would never tell her. Everything will unravel.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

THE STOLEN ONE is a charming tale set in Elizabethan England that shows that sometimes what we hope to learn is already known to us—it merely needs to be acknowledged. This historical coming-of-age story is filled with intrigue and pageantry, along with many realistic details that give a glimpse into the way people lived in the 1500s. I was especially interested in the vivid description of fabrics and embroidery, and wished there were photos to go along with the stunning passages.

Kat is an orphan, and lives with Grace and her deaf daughter Anna. Grace’s secrets, especially those about Kat’s parents, intrigue Kat, but Grace keeps a tight lid on what she guards. The trio live in a cottage and work fancy embroidery on garments to be worn by great ladies. Occasionally, Kat steals the key to the chest where the finished garments are stored, dancing around the cottage when Grace is out. She pretends she is a proper lady, and the owner of the gowns instead of her true self, an orphan with only one dress to her name.

Grace has chosen a husband for Kat, and before she dies, Grace evokes a promise from Kat. She insists that Kat gives her word to marry Christian, a childhood friend. Kat agrees, knowing she has no plans to marry Christian. When she is free to do as she pleases, Kat and Anna set off into the world, and begin the journey that will show them that sometimes everything one truly needs has been with them all along.

THE STOLEN ONE is an enchanting tale! Well done!

Kay James