Author:
Monica Furlong

Number of pages:
228

What age group is this book written for?
Elementary School
Middle School

Category:
Fiction

Brief summary:
Wise Child is a young girl living in medieval Scotland. Her father travels the seas and her mother has abandoned her for a better life. Wise Child is taken in by a kind and good "doran" (sort of a witch) named Juniper, who teaches her reading and writing, as well as herbal medicine and a little magic. Later, Wise Child's loyalties are divided when her mother, who practices the "black arts," turns up and offers her a life of luxury, though it would mean turning her back on Juniper.

When Wise Child's village faces a plague and a crop failure and blames it on superstitious causes, she must use what she has learned from Juniper to free them both from danger.

There is a companion to this book, called "Juniper."