White Midnight - Hardcover

Dia Calhoun spent years training to be a dancer before turning to graphic design and then to writing. Firegold was her first book, followed by Aria of the Sea, both ALA Best Books for Young Adults. She lives in Tacoma, Washington.

Grade 7 Up--This horror story is set in the same world that Calhoun created in Firegold (Winslow, 1999), but takes place 400 years earlier. Rose Chandler, 15, is a bondgirl on Greengarden Orchard. She is too ugly to attract a husband, or so she is often told, and too fearful and disabled by fits of asthma to do much more than lead an old ox around the orchard. Her timidity attracts the attention of the orchard's owner, Mr. Brae, who wants an heir and needs a compliant girl to help him get one. He makes an irresistible offer to Rose's parents--status, possessions, and freedom from bondage--in exchange for Rose's hand in marriage to the monstrous grandson he has kept locked in the attic since birth. Everyone at Greengarden fears "The Thing," who is rumored to feed on human flesh, but the teen finds the inner reserves to accept the offer, both for the sake of her family and even more for her secret desire to own and nurture the orchard. The book stands on its own as a complete story, but is even better as a companion to Firegold, clearing up some of the mysteries of the first novel and linking people, places, and cultures from past and future together. Either way, this is a satisfying read.--Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA
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