Sedgwick, Marcus. The dark horse.

SEDGWICK, Marcus. The dark horse. Random House. 217p. c2003. 0-440-41908-5. $5.99. JS

To quote from the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, January 2003: Sixteen-year-old Sig lives in a coastal village with his tribe of farmers and fisherman, who struggle constantly to find enough food to survive. While on a hunt some years back, a small, strange girl had been found sheltering in a cave with wolves, and Sig's family had adopted her and named her Mouse. She and Sig have a special bond. The tribe knows nothing of her ancestry, though it soon becomes apparent that Mouse has the ability to communicate with animals and to sense things that no one else can. When a mysterious box washes up on the beach and a white-haired stranger comes to the village in search of the box, Mouse is wary, and rightfully so. The stranger brings the legendary, much-feared Dark Horse in his wake--marauders from the north, who swoop down and attack the village, forcing Sig to take over as leader of his tribe and eventually revealing Mouse's unexpected true identity.

It's never explicit, but Sedgwick evokes the era of the Vikings' murderous incursions into Great Britain in this suspenseful, violent tale: this might make an interesting companion to Michael Cadnum's Raven of the Waves, which tells of those raids from the Viking point of view. The story switches between Sig's and Mouse's viewpoints, and themes of leadership and betrayal are important to the plot. A dark, haunting novel. Paula Rohrlick, KLIATT

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescent and their teachers.

S--Recommended for senior high school students.