Kira is an orphaned girl who was born with a deformed leg. She must learn to live in a society that would normally leave the weak and crippled to die by the hands of “The Beasts,” dangerous creatures capable of killing a grown man. Luckily, Kira was saved from such a fate by a friend of her dead father. This friend argues with those who would leave her to “The Beasts” by telling them of Kira’s incredible skill in embroidery. To survive, she must use her skill to create a robe for the singer of an annual gathering ceremony. Later on, Kira makes friends with a young, orphaned boy named Matt. Matt possess amazing skills in wood work, and he’s job is to create the staff that the singer will be holding at the annual gathering. However, on the gathering day, Kira learns the truth behind her job, and the truth is enough to change everything.
This story was extremely entertaining in my opinion. It was full of secrets and big surprises that blew my mind. Lois Lowry is a great author with more talent in writing than Kira had in embroidery. Her book was full of suspense and impossible to put down.
One thing I learned from this story is that people have different talents. It’s true that Kira was deformed and crippled, but she had an incredible talent that kept her alive. So even if someone might not be good at one thing, there is always something they are good at.
Reviewed by Shivesh, Grade 7, Twin Hickory Area Library
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