The Scourge

Ani is always getting into trouble, but now she’s really done it. She’s hanging in vines that cause an awful itchy rash and being pestered by a hecklebird. But that doesn’t compare to being accused of having The Scourge and being taken by the Wardens to be tested. However, she knows she doesn’t have it – her people, the River People, have not caught it…yet. When she escapes, her nature forces her to help someone in trouble, who in turn exposes her to The Scourge. The consequence is exile to Attic Island, where the infected go to live out their days. Ani fully expects to recover and show how strong the River People are, but only if she can behave long enough to avoid the worst punishments the Wardens can devise. Nielsen is the author of The False Prince, and Ani could have been Sage’s sister as she is just as snarky and quick-witted. This book could surely have been a series, and many readers will be disappointed to leave Ani’s world so quickly. Though there are some situations that seem as though the resolution comes about too easily, this plot is still one of the best for middle-grade readers.