Girl In A Cage (Hardcover)

As the book opens, Marjorie Bruce is being dragged by English soldiers to a small town, where she is tossed into an animal's cage. The villagers treat her with disgust, and she is kept under guard. Her life was turned upside-down when her father confronted and killed Red Comyn, a treacherous lackey of King Edward Longshanks. Now Marjorie's father, Robert the Bruce, has been crowned king of Scotland, and Longshanks is trying to hunt down and kill him.

In flashback, Marjorie reveals the events that turned herself, her stepmother, and her relations into fugitives. In the present, the dying Longshanks visits Marjorie's cage to taunt her, pressing the lonely girl to betray her father in exchange for release. And Marjorie, crown princess of Scotland, is determined to outlast the enemy king, no matter what.

Usually flashbacks stink. But Harris and Yolen pull it off wonderfully, flipping between the past and the present. And even though in the present Marjorie never budges from her cage, there are all sorts of little subplots, such as some peasant children who become her "knights" and "ladies-in-waiting," or the kindly monk who tries to help her in small ways.

Marjorie's character development is absolutely wonderful; at the beginning of the whole adventure, she's a bit immature and petulant. But her rude awakening when she is treated like less than an animal is well-drawn, and her iron-clad determination to outlast Longshanks. Speaking of Longshanks, he is presented as a pretty vile person, but not two-dimensionally so -- one very striking scene near the end has him talking about his dead wife.

The writing isn't too wrapped up in historical details the way most historical novels are. And as with "Fool," Yolen and Harris are careful with the very complex politics of the times. They make all this easy to understand, but never dumbed-down. The descriptions of Marjorie's misery in the cage is haunting.. And the last chapters are incredibly powerful, with Marjorie's last talk with Longshanks and a very unexpected twist. (Whatever it is, you won't expect it)

Adults and kids alike can read "Girl in a Cage" -- like "Fool," it's one of those fantastic historical books that will be as good for any age group, especially for people who love Scotland.

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