VVMBookBlog

South Central Los Angeles is a dangerous place to live. People who live there always have the knowledge that their safety, as well as the safety of their family and friends, is never certain. And that’s where Emako Blue and her friends live.

The story begins at Emako’s funeral, then flashes back to the people in her life and the events that lead up to her death. Emako was a very talented singer and was heading for big things in her life. The story follows the collection of friends that know Emako, and each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the friends. Even though you know she has died, the book is written is a way that makes you hope it isn’t so. It’s very sad to realize how many teenagers and children live with the fear of possible danger and death every day.

What’s a ravenmaster and why does the Tower of London, historically a prison and site of executions and torture, have a ravenmaster working there? Well, it seems it goes back to King Charles II who issued a decree that there will always be 6 ravens at the Tower, and the legend that if the ravens leave, the Tower will crumble and the Kingdom of England will fall.

It’s 1735 and Forrest is the son of the ravenmaster.  He has inherited his father’s gift for working with the ravens, but often wishes his father worked somewhere else so he could experience life beyond the walls of the Tower.  Mostly he wants a chance to prove his courage to himself and the boys who are harassing him.

Life gets more exciting for him the day the new prisoner arrives–her name is Maddy and she is the daughter of a Scottish Rebel, an enemy of England.  Forrest is in charge of climbing to the top of the tower every day to bring her food, and gradually learns more about her and how she came to be there.  He then begins to question the reason for her imprisonment and faces a moral dilemma of what to do about it.  If he helps her, he’ll be in trouble as a traitor; if he doesn’t help her, she’ll be executed.

Read Ravenmaster’s Secret to find out what he did, and at the same time you’ll find out some interesting–and smelly–things about living in London in 1735!