'A gripping tale...Both magical and superbly true, this new world draws us into universal struggles of survival, loyalty and freedom, as secrets build and break around us like weather.' ANNA FIENBERG

Peat is on the run - forced to flee for her life when she's blamed for bringing bad luck to her village. She heads for the endless marshes, where she's caught by an old healer-woman who makes Peat her apprentice and teaches her the skill of storytelling.

But a story can be a dangerous thing. It can take you out of one world and leave you stranded in another - and Peat finds herself trapped in an eerie place beyond the Silver River where time stands still. Her only friends are a 900-year-old boy and his ghost hound, plus a small and slippery sleek - a cunning creature that might sink his teeth into your leg one minute, and save your life the next.

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### From School Library Journal

Gr 4–8—Nine-year-old Peat has spent her whole life tending the cows with only her sister for company. When a stranger passes through, Peat is fascinated by his tales of distant places. But the stranger also brings sickness to the village, and Peat is blamed for it and must outrun an irate crowd. Fleeing toward the marshes, she meets up with a strange little animal, which she calls a sleek, who sometimes helps and sometimes hinders her progress. As Peat's adventure progresses, she is apprenticed to a storytelling Marsh Auntie and then caught up in one of the stories. There, Peat must escape the mysterious Siltman with only the help of a 900-year-old boy and his ghost dog. Throughout her adventures, Peat has only one goal: to find a way to return to her sister. This book's vivid, unique setting is only one of its many strengths. Peat is a strong, dynamic character, and the vibrant cast of secondary characters is just as complex and interesting. Add to that a solid plot with good pacing, and young readers are sure to find this quest fantasy a rich and satisfying offering. VERDICT A well-done fantasy and a fine addition to middle grade collections.—Misti Tidman, Licking County Library, Newark, OH

### Review

'A gripping tale... Both magical and superbly true, this new world draws us into universal struggles of survival, loyalty and freedom, as secrets build and break around us like weather.' - Anna Fienberg