"[an] earnest, fast moving story."Kirkus Reviews

"An absorbing historical adventure with a unique and colorful setting."Booklist

"Its message of judging people on their own merits and not on the basis of stereotypes comes
across strongly."School Library Journal

In London in 1735, eleven-year-old Forrest Harper is living with his family at the Tower of London.
There he helps his father tend the ravens and guard the prisoners. Still, life is lonely. When vicious
Scottish Rebels are captured, Forrest is delighted. Perhaps now he can prove his courage and
impress the local bullies who torment him. His happiness is short lived, though, when the Harpers
are only given custody of Maddy, a Scottish Rebel's daughter, for a rebel in a dress will surely
make Forrest a laughingstock.

As the days pass, Maddy's beauty and warmth and her touching stories of life in Scotland seal a
friendship between them. But when she is slated for execution, Forrest is faced with a horrifying
choice. He can either commit treason and help her escape or obey the law and allow his innocent
friend to be executed.

Elvira Woodruff is the author of many popular novels. Her books have won numerous awards and honors. The hundreds of letters from children that she receives each year keep her excited about writing. She lives in Martin's Creek, Pennsylvania, where she keeps a garden that is filled with morning glories.

Kate Reading is an award-winning narrator and actor who is a company member at Woolly Mammoth Theatre and has appeared on many other stages. She is married to actor-narrator Michael Kramer (Nick Bernard), and they live with their two children in the Washington, D.C. area.