Overview

All her life, Moss has lived in the Tower of London with her father, who serves as the executioner for King Henry VIII. Prisoners condemned to death must face Pa and his axe--and Moss catches their severed heads. Her father insists he has no choice: if he leaves the Tower, he will be killed. But Moss can't bear to be the executioner's daughter any longer. When she finally finds a way out of the Tower, she discovers the river holds more dangers than she imagined--including the Riverwitch's curse. The Riverwitch once helped Moss's family in exchange for a terrible bargain; now she expects Moss to pay the debt.

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9781606845622

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Reviews

Moss hates her life as the basket girl and executioner's daughter, so she leaves the tower for subsistence living along the river with an orphan named Salter. In this British import, Hardstaff weaves a coming-of-age story set in Tudor England with folklore about a Riverwitch. Moss's frustrations with her father's overprotectiveness and her desire to somehow connect with her late mother are genuine. Moss matures as she searches for where her mother died and through her friendship with Salter. She fully realizes Salter's 'bread first, then morals' philosophy during her escapade to Hampton Court. The Riverwitch folklore and the suspense that it creates, along with the themes of love and family, strengthen Moss's story. Parts of the novel, particularly Moss meeting the queen, feel contrived and too heavy-handed. The sequel, River Daughter (Egmont UK, 2015), is stronger and more engaging than the first entry, as it focuses more squarely on Moss's connection with the river and the Riverwitch. An author's note that briefly describes the inspiration for the story is included. VERDICT: Though this work is not as enthralling as Karen Cushman's historical fiction, readers who enjoy history and folklore will learn about Tudor England through a commoner's eyes in this British import. --School Library Journal --Journal Moss has spent her almost 12 years in close proximity to death: her father, the Tower of London executioner, put Moss in charge of toting the severed heads back from the stocks in a basket. He refuses to leave the Tower, and at first it's not clear why, aside from his unwillingness to speak about Moss' dead mother and his anger over a nursery rhyme about a child-hungry, river-bound witch. While mucking out a latrine, Moss finally gets a chance to escape--she finds a secret tunnel ending at the Thames. It's there she meets a sticky-fingered guttersnipe, Salter. But she also finds something much less friendly--a smokey-smelling man lurking under the wharf and an eerie, skeletal face in the water. Hardstaff imbues her debut novel with rich, sensory language to evoke a strong sense of everyday life in Reformation-era England. Among the real drama involving historical figures, such as Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, clever Moss' compelling story is a gratifying one, and kids who love spooky, grim tales will easily be lured in. --Booklist --Journal 4Q 3P M J--Twelve-year-old Moss really hates her life and she feels like one of the prisoners in King Henry VIII's Tower of London. She has lived her whole life inside the walls. Her father is the blacksmith, but more importantly, he is the King's executioner. Moss's job is basket girl; she catches the decapitated heads her father lops off, as well as fills in as extra kitchen help, taking prisoners their daily meals. Moss wants more from life and does not understand her father's overly strict rules about not leaving the Tower complex. She finds a secret passage leading outside and finds an adventure on the river with a local river rat/street urchin named Salter. What Moss does not know is how much danger she and her new friend are in from the River Witch's ghost. The author creates an accurate and interesting historical setting in a tumultuous time. Details of harsh life, religious strife, and political intrigue in the king's court educate while moving the plot seamlessly. Moss is an easily identifiable character, wanting to grow and explore life. Her adventure comes at such a dangerous time for her class and gender, but readers will root for her and wonder how she will defeat the curse of the River Witch. This paranormal and historical novel is good reading, and young teens should be pleased with the protagonist because of her quick thinking and tough spirit. --VOYA --Journal When she tries to save her neck, a young girl learns there are dangers outside the dungeon too. Brought to the Tower of London as a motherless baby, 12-year-old Moss hates her limited life and reviled role as the basket girl, carrying the heads of the newly decapitated after Pa beheads Henry VIII's prisoners. She loves stories, like the one of the Riverwitch, but she rebels when she doubts her father's tales of their ties to the tower. Seizing the first chance at freedom, Moss plunges right into the Thames and danger. She hobnobs with nobles, befriends a boot thief, and tangles with the supernatural spirit who tries to lure children beneath the icy surface. Hardstaff gambles with her blend of fiction and folklore and her compression of dates, but she excels with her depiction of Tudor England, offering lavish descriptions of clothing and food, a moderate amount of lower-class dialect, and a slew of stench and grime. Anne Boleyn comes off a bit too prescient and moralistic to be believed, but court politics get an arch appraisal. Unhampered by any real historical role yet propelled by the fairy-tale undercurrent, Moss shifts, rebellious adolescent, clever child, and fortuitous historical-fiction heroine by turn. A richly detailed debut with a classic feel, full of grit, gore, and gilt. --Kirkus Reviews --Journal Set in England during the reign of Henry VIII, Hardstaff's debut is a fast-moving and suspenseful adventure starring motherless 11-year-old Moss, who has lived all her life on London's Tower Hill. Moss's father's job is to behead the Tower prisoners; hers is to carry away the severed heads in a basket. Jeered at as 'basket girl, ' Moss despises beheadings, but her father has always told her they themselves are prisoners whose lives are spared only because he serves as the king's executioner. When Moss discovers that this is a lie--and that she is living under a curse from the Riverwitch who saved her as a newborn--she runs away, embarking on a hand-to-mouth existence filled with indignities and dangers, often accompanied by a generous young thief, who shares what little he has with Moss. Searching for the place she was conceived and aware that she is living on borrowed time, Moss is a headstrong, emotional, and determined heroine. Hardstaff believably conveys the gritty details of life on the edge in the context of historical events of the era. --Publishers Weekly --Journal

Moss hates her life as the basket girl and executioner's daughter, so she leaves the tower for subsistence living along the river with an orphan named Salter. In this British import, Hardstaff weaves a coming-of-age story set in Tudor England with folklore about a Riverwitch. Moss's frustrations with her father's overprotectiveness and her desire to somehow connect with her late mother are genuine. Moss matures as she searches for where her mother died and through her friendship with Salter. She fully realizes Salter's 'bread first, then morals' philosophy during her escapade to Hampton Court. The Riverwitch folklore and the suspense that it creates, along with the themes of love and family, strengthen Moss's story. Parts of the novel, particularly Moss meeting the queen, feel contrived and too heavy-handed. The sequel, River Daughter (Egmont UK, 2015), is stronger and more engaging than the first entry, as it focuses more squarely on Moss's connection with the river and the Riverwitch. An author's note that briefly describes the inspiration for the story is included. VERDICT: Though this work is not as enthralling as Karen Cushman's historical fiction, readers who enjoy history and folklore will learn about Tudor England through a commoner's eyes in this British import. --School Library Journal --Journal Moss has spent her almost 12 years in close proximity to death: her father, the Tower of London executioner, put Moss in charge of toting the severed heads back from the stocks in a basket. He refuses to leave the Tower, and at first it's not clear why, aside from his unwillingness to speak about Moss' dead mother and his anger over a nursery rhyme about a child-hungry, river-bound witch. While mucking out a latrine, Moss finally gets a chance to escape--she finds a secret tunnel ending at the Thames. It's there she meets a sticky-fingered guttersnipe, Salter. But she also finds something much less friendly--a smokey-smelling man lurking under the wharf and an eerie, skeletal face in the water. Hardstaff imbues her debut novel with rich, sensory language to evoke a strong sense of everyday life in Reformation-era England. Among the real drama involving historical figures, such as Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, clever Moss' compelling story is a gratifying one, and kids who love spooky, grim tales will easily be lured in. --Booklist --Journal Set in England during the reign of Henry VIII, Hardstaff's debut is a fast-moving and suspenseful adventure starring motherless 11-year-old Moss, who has lived all her life on London's Tower Hill. Moss's father's job is to behead the Tower prisoners; hers is to carry away the severed heads in a basket. Jeered at as 'basket girl, ' Moss despises beheadings, but her father has always told her they themselves are prisoners whose lives are spared only because he serves as the king's executioner. When Moss discovers that this is a lie--and that she is living under a curse from the Riverwitch who saved her as a newborn--she runs away, embarking on a hand-to-mouth existence filled with indignities and dangers, often accompanied by a generous young thief, who shares what little he has with Moss. Searching for the place she was conceived and aware that she is living on borrowed time, Moss is a headstrong, emotional, and determined heroine. Hardstaff believably conveys the gritty details of life on the edge in the context of historical events of the era. --Publishers Weekly --Journal 4Q 3P M J--Twelve-year-old Moss really hates her life and she feels like one of the prisoners in King Henry VIII's Tower of London. She has lived her whole life inside the walls. Her father is the blacksmith, but more importantly, he is the King's executioner. Moss's job is basket girl; she catches the decapitated heads her father lops off, as well as fills in as extra kitchen help, taking prisoners their daily meals. Moss wants more from life and does not understand her father's overly strict rules about not leaving the Tower complex. She finds a secret passage leading outside and finds an adventure on the river with a local river rat/street urchin named Salter. What Moss does not know is how much danger she and her new friend are in from the River Witch's ghost. The author creates an accurate and interesting historical setting in a tumultuous time. Details of harsh life, religious strife, and political intrigue in the king's court educate while moving the plot seamlessly. Moss is an easily identifiable character, wanting to grow and explore life. Her adventure comes at such a dangerous time for her class and gender, but readers will root for her and wonder how she will defeat the curse of the River Witch. This paranormal and historical novel is good reading, and young teens should be pleased with the protagonist because of her quick thinking and tough spirit. --VOYA --Journal When she tries to save her neck, a young girl learns there are dangers outside the dungeon too. Brought to the Tower of London as a motherless baby, 12-year-old Moss hates her limited life and reviled role as the basket girl, carrying the heads of the newly decapitated after Pa beheads Henry VIII's prisoners. She loves stories, like the one of the Riverwitch, but she rebels when she doubts her father's tales of their ties to the tower. Seizing the first chance at freedom, Moss plunges right into the Thames and danger. She hobnobs with nobles, befriends a boot thief, and tangles with the supernatural spirit who tries to lure children beneath the icy surface. Hardstaff gambles with her blend of fiction and folklore and her compression of dates, but she excels with her depiction of Tudor England, offering lavish descriptions of clothing and food, a moderate amount of lower-class dialect, and a slew of stench and grime. Anne Boleyn comes off a bit too prescient and moralistic to be believed, but court politics get an arch appraisal. Unhampered by any real historical role yet propelled by the fairy-tale undercurrent, Moss shifts, rebellious adolescent, clever child, and fortuitous historical-fiction heroine by turn. A richly detailed debut with a classic feel, full of grit, gore, and gilt. --Kirkus Reviews --Journal

Moss hates her life as the basket girl and executioner's daughter, so she leaves the tower for subsistence living along the river with an orphan named Salter. In this British import, Hardstaff weaves a coming-of-age story set in Tudor England with folklore about a Riverwitch. Moss's frustrations with her father's overprotectiveness and her desire to somehow connect with her late mother are genuine. Moss matures as she searches for where her mother died and through her friendship with Salter. She fully realizes Salter's 'bread first, then morals' philosophy during her escapade to Hampton Court. The Riverwitch folklore and the suspense that it creates, along with the themes of love and family, strengthen Moss's story. Parts of the novel, particularly Moss meeting the queen, feel contrived and too heavy-handed. The sequel, River Daughter (Egmont UK, 2015), is stronger and more engaging than the first entry, as it focuses more squarely on Moss's connection with the river and the Riverwitch. An author's note that briefly describes the inspiration for the story is included. VERDICT: Though this work is not as enthralling as Karen Cushman's historical fiction, readers who enjoy history and folklore will learn about Tudor England through a commoner's eyes in this British import. --School Library Journal --Journal 4Q 3P M J--Twelve-year-old Moss really hates her life and she feels like one of the prisoners in King Henry VIII's Tower of London. She has lived her whole life inside the walls. Her father is the blacksmith, but more importantly, he is the King's executioner. Moss's job is basket girl; she catches the decapitated heads her father lops off, as well as fills in as extra kitchen help, taking prisoners their daily meals. Moss wants more from life and does not understand her father's overly strict rules about not leaving the Tower complex. She finds a secret passage leading outside and finds an adventure on the river with a local river rat/street urchin named Salter. What Moss does not know is how much danger she and her new friend are in from the River Witch's ghost. The author creates an accurate and interesting historical setting in a tumultuous time. Details of harsh life, religious strife, and political intrigue in the king's court educate while moving the plot seamlessly. Moss is an easily identifiable character, wanting to grow and explore life. Her adventure comes at such a dangerous time for her class and gender, but readers will root for her and wonder how she will defeat the curse of the River Witch. This paranormal and historical novel is good reading, and young teens should be pleased with the protagonist because of her quick thinking and tough spirit. --VOYA --Journal Moss has spent her almost 12 years in close proximity to death: her father, the Tower of London executioner, put Moss in charge of toting the severed heads back from the stocks in a basket. He refuses to leave the Tower, and at first it's not clear why, aside from his unwillingness to speak about Moss' dead mother and his anger over a nursery rhyme about a child-hungry, river-bound witch. While mucking out a latrine, Moss finally gets a chance to escape--she finds a secret tunnel ending at the Thames. It's there she meets a sticky-fingered guttersnipe, Salter. But she also finds something much less friendly--a smokey-smelling man lurking under the wharf and an eerie, skeletal face in the water. Hardstaff imbues her debut novel with rich, sensory language to evoke a strong sense of everyday life in Reformation-era England. Among the real drama involving historical figures, such as Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, clever Moss' compelling story is a gratifying one, and kids who love spooky, grim tales will easily be lured in. --Booklist --Journal When she tries to save her neck, a young girl learns there are dangers outside the dungeon too. Brought to the Tower of London as a motherless baby, 12-year-old Moss hates her limited life and reviled role as the basket girl, carrying the heads of the newly decapitated after Pa beheads Henry VIII's prisoners. She loves stories, like the one of the Riverwitch, but she rebels when she doubts her father's tales of their ties to the tower. Seizing the first chance at freedom, Moss plunges right into the Thames and danger. She hobnobs with nobles, befriends a boot thief, and tangles with the supernatural spirit who tries to lure children beneath the icy surface. Hardstaff gambles with her blend of fiction and folklore and her compression of dates, but she excels with her depiction of Tudor England, offering lavish descriptions of clothing and food, a moderate amount of lower-class dialect, and a slew of stench and grime. Anne Boleyn comes off a bit too prescient and moralistic to be believed, but court politics get an arch appraisal. Unhampered by any real historical role yet propelled by the fairy-tale undercurrent, Moss shifts, rebellious adolescent, clever child, and fortuitous historical-fiction heroine by turn. A richly detailed debut with a classic feel, full of grit, gore, and gilt. --Kirkus Reviews --Journal Set in England during the reign of Henry VIII, Hardstaff's debut is a fast-moving and suspenseful adventure starring motherless 11-year-old Moss, who has lived all her life on London's Tower Hill. Moss's father's job is to behead the Tower prisoners; hers is to carry away the severed heads in a basket. Jeered at as 'basket girl, ' Moss despises beheadings, but her father has always told her they themselves are prisoners whose lives are spared only because he serves as the king's executioner. When Moss discovers that this is a lie--and that she is living under a curse from the Riverwitch who saved her as a newborn--she runs away, embarking on a hand-to-mouth existence filled with indignities and dangers, often accompanied by a generous young thief, who shares what little he has with Moss. Searching for the place she was conceived and aware that she is living on borrowed time, Moss is a headstrong, emotional, and determined heroine. Hardstaff believably conveys the gritty details of life on the edge in the context of historical events of the era. --Publishers Weekly --Journal

4Q 3P M J--Twelve-year-old Moss really hates her life and she feels like one of the prisoners in King Henry VIII's Tower of London. She has lived her whole life inside the walls. Her father is the blacksmith, but more importantly, he is the King's executioner. Moss's job is basket girl; she catches the decapitated heads her father lops off, as well as fills in as extra kitchen help, taking prisoners their daily meals. Moss wants more from life and does not understand her father's overly strict rules about not leaving the Tower complex. She finds a secret passage leading outside and finds an adventure on the river with a local river rat/street urchin named Salter. What Moss does not know is how much danger she and her new friend are in from the River Witch's ghost. The author creates an accurate and interesting historical setting in a tumultuous time. Details of harsh life, religious strife, and political intrigue in the king's court educate while moving the plot seamlessly. Moss is an easily identifiable character, wanting to grow and explore life. Her adventure comes at such a dangerous time for her class and gender, but readers will root for her and wonder how she will defeat the curse of the River Witch. This paranormal and historical novel is good reading, and young teens should be pleased with the protagonist because of her quick thinking and tough spirit. --VOYA --Journal When she tries to save her neck, a young girl learns there are dangers outside the dungeon too. Brought to the Tower of London as a motherless baby, 12-year-old Moss hates her limited life and reviled role as the basket girl, carrying the heads of the newly decapitated after Pa beheads Henry VIII's prisoners. She loves stories, like the one of the Riverwitch, but she rebels when she doubts her father's tales of their ties to the tower. Seizing the first chance at freedom, Moss plunges right into the Thames and danger. She hobnobs with nobles, befriends a boot thief, and tangles with the supernatural spirit who tries to lure children beneath the icy surface. Hardstaff gambles with her blend of fiction and folklore and her compression of dates, but she excels with her depiction of Tudor England, offering lavish descriptions of clothing and food, a moderate amount of lower-class dialect, and a slew of stench and grime. Anne Boleyn comes off a bit too prescient and moralistic to be believed, but court politics get an arch appraisal. Unhampered by any real historical role yet propelled by the fairy-tale undercurrent, Moss shifts, rebellious adolescent, clever child, and fortuitous historical-fiction heroine by turn. A richly detailed debut with a classic feel, full of grit, gore, and gilt. --Kirkus Reviews --Journal Set in England during the reign of Henry VIII, Hardstaff's debut is a fast-moving and suspenseful adventure starring motherless 11-year-old Moss, who has lived all her life on London's Tower Hill. Moss's father's job is to behead the Tower prisoners; hers is to carry away the severed heads in a basket. Jeered at as 'basket girl, ' Moss despises beheadings, but her father has always told her they themselves are prisoners whose lives are spared only because he serves as the king's executioner. When Moss discovers that this is a lie--and that she is living under a curse from the Riverwitch who saved her as a newborn--she runs away, embarking on a hand-to-mouth existence filled with indignities and dangers, often accompanied by a generous young thief, who shares what little he has with Moss. Searching for the place she was conceived and aware that she is living on borrowed time, Moss is a headstrong, emotional, and determined heroine. Hardstaff believably conveys the gritty details of life on the edge in the context of historical events of the era. --Publishers Weekly --Journal Moss hates her life as the basket girl and executioner's daughter, so she leaves the tower for subsistence living along the river with an orphan named Salter. In this British import, Hardstaff weaves a coming-of-age story set in Tudor England with folklore about a Riverwitch. Moss's frustrations with her father's overprotectiveness and her desire to somehow connect with her late mother are genuine. Moss matures as she searches for where her mother died and through her friendship with Salter. She fully realizes Salter's 'bread first, then morals' philosophy during her escapade to Hampton Court. The Riverwitch folklore and the suspense that it creates, along with the themes of love and family, strengthen Moss's story. Parts of the novel, particularly Moss meeting the queen, feel contrived and too heavy-handed. The sequel, River Daughter (Egmont UK, 2015), is stronger and more engaging than the first entry, as it focuses more squarely on Moss's connection with the river and the Riverwitch. An author's note that briefly describes the inspiration for the story is included. VERDICT: Though this work is not as enthralling as Karen Cushman's historical fiction, readers who enjoy history and folklore will learn about Tudor England through a commoner's eyes in this British import. --School Library Journal --Journal Moss has spent her almost 12 years in close proximity to death: her father, the Tower of London executioner, put Moss in charge of toting the severed heads back from the stocks in a basket. He refuses to leave the Tower, and at first it's not clear why, aside from his unwillingness to speak about Moss' dead mother and his anger over a nursery rhyme about a child-hungry, river-bound witch. While mucking out a latrine, Moss finally gets a chance to escape--she finds a secret tunnel ending at the Thames. It's there she meets a sticky-fingered guttersnipe, Salter. But she also finds something much less friendly--a smokey-smelling man lurking under the wharf and an eerie, skeletal face in the water. Hardstaff imbues her debut novel with rich, sensory language to evoke a strong sense of everyday life in Reformation-era England. Among the real drama involving historical figures, such as Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, clever Moss' compelling story is a gratifying one, and kids who love spooky, grim tales will easily be lured in. --Booklist --Journal

Author Information

Jane Hardstaff longed to be an artist but somehow became a TV producer. She grew up in Wiltshire with her brothers, hunting mayfly-nymphs with her father and reading fairy tales with her mother. Now she lives in London's East End, near the great, wild River Thames--the inspiration for her first book. The author lives in London, England.

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