Like Bernard Cornwell, Hollick mines the richly textured history of Saxon England, producing a striking portrait of an unruly era poised on the threshold of major transformation. Married off to King Aethelred of England at age 13, Emma, daughter of the Duke of Normandy, far exceeds her value as a strategic female pawn, as she pledges her enduring allegiance to her adopted homeland. Despising her weakling husband, she and her children retreat to Normandy when England is invaded by the Danes. However, her all-consuming passion to save her country and retain her crown eventually leads her into the confidence as well as the arms of Cnut, Viking king of England.
The Rands (Salty Dog) tell of a boy's valiant efforts to save an ancient forest in this straightforward picture book. The boy and his father love to hike through a favorite old-growth forest. One day, the pair discovers blue paint spots on the towering trunks, and Dad explains that loggers are about to destroy their special retreat?the woodsy smell, the elk trails, the places where deer rested, the birds. But the son has a plan...
