January's Book

Book of a Thousand Days
by Shannon Hale

January 14th (Wednesday)
8pm at Jenn's

The Library has several copies of the book. Click on the picture or the word library above to go directly to the library's web site.

Summary:
Fifteen-year-old Dashti, sworn to obey her sixteen-year-old mistress, the Lady Saren, shares Saren's years of punishment locked in a tower, then brings her safely to the lands of her true love, where both must hide who they are as they work as kitchen maids.

Review:
Drawing from a classic Grimm's fairy tale and Mongolian tradition, this is an engaging tale of a resourceful maid and her emotionally fragile mistress. Set in medieval times, Dashti comes to Titor's Garden, one of the Eight Realms, to find work. She becomes maid to Lady Saren just as Saren is confined to a tower for refusing to marry Lord Khasar. They are given food and other items to last for seven years, and then the tower is bricked up except for a hole for emptying waste. When the food begins to run out after three years, Dashti finds a way out of the tower, and the two begin a journey to the realm of Kahn Tegus. After arriving, the two go to work in the kitchen. Dashti, brave and intelligent, helps Saren and the khan, whose realm faces attack. In the end, she marries Khan Tegus. Written as a journal, the book has a historical feel with fantasy elements. Drawings among the entries help the reader visualize unfamiliar elements and give insight into the characters. The book is another solid work from this Newbury Honor Medal winner. Recommended. Betsy Ruffin, Librarian, Irving Elementary, Cleburne, Texas © 2008 Linworth Publishing, Inc