Duck (presumably white) is youngest member of a gang of street urchins known as the Crowns. When the gang moves to Odierne, Avilogne (akin to medieval France), the Crowns’ cruel but clever leader, Gnat, forges apprenticeship papers for Duck. As the baker’s apprentice, Duck will be able to pass bread and coin to her friends under the baker’s nose. But Gnat and Duck do not foresee the kindness of the baker, Griselde, or the way she takes to Duck as if Duck were her own daughter. Duck develops a conscience and finds herself torn. She feels compelled to provide for her old family, the Crowns, but terribly guilty about stealing from Griselde, who feeds, educates, and genuinely cares for her. Sensing this, Gnat and the rest of the Crowns grow resentful of Duck, accusing her of becoming an “inside cat” whose loyalty has shifted. Gnat decides to take matters into his own hands, making a deal with the leader of the Red Swords, a rival gang threatening the Crowns, that may prove disastrous for all involved. This unusually lengthy middle grade novel, replete with duplicitous tricks and delicious bread-making details, moves along at a steady clip. There are elements of mystery, and occasional chapters in the voice of a watchful gargoyle on the city’s unfinished, abandoned cathedral. Complex and likeable, Duck undergoes an immense amount of growth as she tries to balance the many relationships and responsibilities in her life. (Ages 9-13)

A beautifully crafted middle-grade novel spiced with magic—and gargoyles!—from the acclaimed author of Hour of the Bees and Race to the Bottom of the Sea.

Fished from the river as an infant and raised by a roving band of street urchins who call themselves the Crowns, eight-year-old Duck keeps her head down and her mouth shut. It’s a rollicking life, always thieving, always on the run—until the ragtag Crowns infiltrate an abandoned cathedral in the city of Odierne and decide to set down roots. It’s all part of the bold new plan hatched by the Crowns’ fearless leader, Gnat: one of their very own will pose as an apprentice to the local baker, relieving Master Griselde of bread and coin to fill the bellies and line the pockets of all the Crowns. But no sooner is Duck apprenticed to the kindly Griselde than Duck’s allegiances start to blur. Who is she really—a Crown or an apprentice baker? And who does she want to be? Meanwhile, high above the streets of Odierne, on the roof of the unfinished cathedral, an old and ugly gargoyle grows weary of waiting to fulfill his own destiny—to watch and protect. Told in alternating viewpoints, this exquisite novel evokes a timeless tale of love, self-discovery, and what it means to be rescued.