The Rogues (Stuart Quartet)
Grade 7 Up—In the late 1700s and early 1800s, many Scottish lairds discovered that they could make money by leasing their land to English sheep farmers. As a result, thousands of poor Highlanders were removed from their homes. Roddy Macallan and his family are tenant farmers, and they have always relied on their laird to be a provider and protector. Now he is dead, and the greedy and cruel new man cares little for clan traditions and his responsibility for his people. He sends his brutal factor, Willie Rood, to burn out the villagers and take their livestock. Enraged, Roddy sneaks back to the village to find the family "Blessing" that his deceased mother always told stories about. He finds it, a valuable brooch given to an ancestor by Bonnie Prince Charlie, but Willie Rood steals it for the laird. Roddy is nearly beaten to death, but is saved by the outlaw Alan Dunbar, who then trains him as his apprentice. Enduring great peril, the men recover the brooch, escape the English Redcoats who've been sent after them, and make it to a settlement in North Carolina. The authors deftly weave historical facts into their action-packed adventure, and though the story is somewhat predictable, it is thoroughly engaging. They write in Scottish dialect and syntax, which readers should get the hang of fairly quickly. The story would make a great read-aloud for anyone who would like to tackle the accent.—Cheri Dobbs, Detroit Country Day Middle School, Beverly Hills, MICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.