The Poisons of Caux: The Shepherd of Weeds (Book III)

Appelbaum, Susannah

ISBN 10: 037595175X ISBN 13: 9780375951756

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2011

Synopsis

Back in the Kingdom of Caux after her journey to its sisterland, Ivy wakes up in a dismal orphanage alongside her friend Rue. Accompanied by a strange woman named Lumpen—who looks suspiciously like a scarecrow—the girls make their way back to Templar to plan a massive battle against the Tasters Guild, where Vidal Verjouce is making ink out of the deadly Scourge Bracken weed. Rocamadour grows darker and more dangerous with every drop.

With an army of scarecrows, a legion of birds, and her friends and uncle by her side, it's up to Ivy—the true "Shepherd of Weeds"—to wage war against the Guild, defeat her own father, and restore order to the plant world. Susannah Appelbaum's imagination soars in this stunning and utterly satisfying final volume of the Poisons of Caux trilogy.
From the Hardcover edition.

About this title

About the Author:

SUSANNAH APPELBAUM comes from a family of doctors and philosophers, which instilled in her both an early fascination and a great deal of caution with bottles marked "poison." The idea for the Poisons of Caux trilogy was born when she lived in an old woodcutter's cottage in French apple country as a child: "Out of the door were ancient forests, wild boars, and new and inviting foods to taste."

Susannah worked in magazine publishing for many years and now lives with her family in the Hudson Valley, New York, and in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, where her garden prefers to grow weeds. To learn more about the author, please visit www.susannahappelbaum.com.
From the Hardcover edition.

Review:

VOYA

Appelbaum's third novel continues to captivate the imagination. As in Philip Pullman's The Amber Spyglass, the main character must save the world while confronting the threats posed by her father.... Caux is a well-designed fantasy world with enough appeal to satisfy younger readers, who will wish for a fourth book.

Chronogram
The closing volume of the trilogy is catnip for fantasy fans young and old. Intrepid Ivy Manx steps up to the destiny plate to trump villains animal (ink monkeys!), vegetable (scourge bracken!) and human (her father!) Appelbaum's fluent prose shimmers with magical threads, like the tapestry into which one of her characters disappears.

About this edition

• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 037595175X
• ISBN 13: 9780375951756
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 464
• Illustrator: Offermann Andrea