A RESURRECTION OF MAGIC:
Skin Hunger

Holly Black:
“Beautifully written, fierce, and unforgettable."

Donna Jo Napoli:
“Wow, what a ride…this is the first of a trilogy, and all I can say is that I hope the next one comes out soon. I'll be sleepless tonight, wondering what happened to dear Sadima and doomed (or apparently so) Hahp.”

Nancy Farmer:
“Skin Hunger is not only well-paced with compelling characters, but it’s complete all-out entertainment. Original, too. Never have wizards appeared so foul or their apprentices so tormented…Duey presents a completely realized world you can sink into and never want to leave. I highly recommend it.”

full text journal reviews


EXCERPT:

Skin Hunger

by
kathleen duey

Micah’s breath scraped in and out of his lungs; his feet were clodded with road-mud. He labored past the agate-eyed cows in the apple orchards along River Road, then, at the edge of town, he climbed Mattie Han’s rail fence. Running heavy-legged, he cut between her thatch-roofed house and her market garden. Going down the long hill toward the square, his chest aching, the downward slope shoved him along and he let it, barely managing to stay upright. Every step was a jerking effort not to fall face first into the dirt. On High Street, he finally stumbled to a stop.


Hands on his knees to ease his gasps, Micah scanned the close-packed crowds below him. There had to be a magician here this market day. There nearly always was, sometimes two or three. Micah’s eyes blurred with tears and sweat. He wiped them clear with a balled fist.


There?

He straightened up, staring. Beyond the tangle of wagons and carts in the pasture below the stock pens, he caught a second glimpse of swinging black robes and went on, down the steep bank that separated High Street from Market Row, sliding the last few feet into the road. A cart horse shied and a Gypsy in indigo shouted and raised his tattooed fist. Micah found his feet and ran again, going straight into the maze of tents and farmers’ booths, pushing past fruit carts and women selling bolts of bright cloth.


The magician had drawn a little crowd. Micah lurched toward her, the sound of his own rushing breath muting her voice as she spoke to the people gathered around her. She was holding up a deep blue vial for all to see. Micah wriggled through the crowd and stood before her, staring up at the drawing of a slender-stemmed herb on the paper label.

“My mother…” he managed, then had to stop, his chest heaving.“My moth—”

The old magician glared at him. “Hush!”

“You…you have to…” Micah stopped again. He had meant to shout. It came out a whisper. He tipped his face upward, aiming the words. “Please. Come. Please.”


The old woman smiled. “Once I am finished here. These good people want to buy my tonics.”


“No, you have to come now,” Micah said, finding his voice. The magician didn’t even glance at him. She had raised the blue bottle and was talking over his head. He grabbed at her sleeve. Annoyed, she jerked it free, stepping back, and dropped the bottle. It shattered on the cobblestones. Micah stared at the shards of blue glass. Only the stopper was whole, spinning in a slow circle. He looked up. The magician loomed over him, her hand lifted high, her eyes hard and angry. Micah flinched and raised one arm to protect his face.


“What’s wrong with you? That boy needs help!” a woman shouted. “Can't you see that?” Micah heard more voices—they sounded angry. The magician’s face softened abruptly and she reached to pat Micah’s cheek, then grasped his hand, hard. She leaned close. “Make one more sound and I won’t come. Do you hear?” He nodded, staring at her hand on his. He would remember, all of his life, her yellowed fingernails, rimmed in black—little half moons of filth.





The young band of adventurers returns in another action-packed trip into the past—this time back to the American West. When the Time Soldiers go through the portal to the 1860s, they find themselves not just watching the historic, breakneck rides of the pony express but also saddling up with the riders to carry Abraham Lincoln's inaugural address across 2,000 miles of wilderness. While the travelers lend a hand in the past, they are watched by mysterious men in dark suits who follow and wait, lurking at the margins of their time-bending trips. With engaging graphic design and a mix of history and fantasy, these tales of adventure and mystery will keep young readers glued to the pages.


The year is 1773, and the tensions between the colonists and the British are heating up. For ten-year-old Silence, the tensions at home are running high as well. All Silence wants is a chance to call Lily—a beautiful snowwhite mare—her own. But Silence’s father does not think it fitting for a young girl to spend so much time out riding and being reckless. In the days leading up to the Boston Tea Party, Silence learns that someone has been taking Lily out to secret meetings under the cover of darkness. If she doesn’t do something drastic, she may lose Lily forever.





''...The absolute best and most unique item was the Unicorn series, which was for 'starting chapter' readers but did not have the usual give-away of simplified text/illustrations that are sort of insulting to children. It looked like (and was) a 'real' book.'' -- MG, New Orleans, LA
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