Will Sparrow's Road

In his thirteenth year, Will Sparrow, liar and thief, becomes a runaway. On the road in this adventurous coming of age story, he encounters a series of con artists—a pickpocket, a tooth puller, a pig trainer, a conjurer—and learns that others are more adept than he at lying and thieving. Then he reluctantly joins a traveling troupe of "oddities," a found family of misfits including a dwarf and a cat-faced girl, holding himself apart from the "monsters" and resolving to be on guard against further deceptions. At last Will is forced to understand that appearances are misleading and that he has been his own worst deceiver. The rowdy world of market fairs in Elizabethan England is the colorful backdrop for Newbery medalist Cushman's new comic masterpiece. This ebook includes a sample chapter of THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE. He thinks he’s the master of lies and theft. But in a world of professional con artists and kind-hearted “monsters,” what happens when Will Sparrow is the one being deceived—most of all by himself? A Runaway’s Survival Story: Thirteen-year-old Will Sparrow is a liar and a thief, but escaping his old life is harder than he ever imagined. On his own for the first time, he has to learn a whole new set of rules to survive on the road. Rich Historical Fiction: Step into the rowdy world of Elizabethan England, from its muddy roads and dark forests to the colorful chaos of its traveling market fairs, brought to life by a Newbery Medalist author. A Troupe of Misfits: He reluctantly joins a traveling show of “oddities,” including a wise dwarf and a sharp-witted, cat-faced girl named Grace, who might not be the monsters he assumes they are. Appearance vs. Reality: In a world of expert deceivers, Will must learn who to trust when the most honest people he meets are the ones society has cast off as freaks.