As a digital subscriber, you’ll receive unlimited access to Horn Book web exclusives and extensive archives, as well as access to our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database.
To access other site content, visit The Horn Book homepage.
To continue you need an active subscription to hbook.com.
Subscribe now to gain immediate access to everything hbook.com has to offer, as well as our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database, which contains tens of thousands of short, critical reviews of books published in the United States for young people.
Thank you for registering. To have the latest stories delivered to your inbox, select as many free newsletters as you like below.
No thanks. Return to article
186 pp.
| Houghton |
September, 2003 |
TradeISBN 0-618-30955-1$$15.00
(4)
YA
This tale in free verse concerns a girl in a fictional island society, sent to the "fattening hut" to prepare her for womanhood. As Helen learns of the ritual genital cutting awaiting her, she determines to escape. The ending strains credibility, and the author's decision to place this real-life issue in a fantasy setting is odd, but the story, with its flowing language, is engaging, the protagonist sympathetic.