Author: Elvira Woodruff
Ages: 9-12
Rating: 4/5

About: Forrest is the Ravenmaster's son in the Bloody Tower of London. He helps to look after the tower's ravens and the prisoners. But Forrest is a sensitive good hearted boy. So after the last public hanging, when he got sick at the sight of the execution, the other boys make fun of him. Wishing for a chance to show his courage, Forrest can't wait to take care of the Tower's new inmate -a Scottish rebel. That is, until the rebel turns out to be an 11 year old girl.

Thoughts: I really enjoyed reading this story. It was a little slow to start, but did a great job of bringing the reader into the 18th century and giving a glimpse of what life was like.
The dialogue was also stylized after the 18th century way of speaking and gives young readers new vocabulary to try out. Woodruff does a nice job of explaining uncommon words and expressions in such a way that makes it part of the story, rather than an aside. A glossary at the back helps to clarify further.

This was a fairly quick read for me, as I was anxious for the characters and didn't want to put the book down until I finished the story!