Scottish Boy - by Alex de Campi (Paperback)

About the Book

"It is 1333, and Edward III is at war with Scotland. Newly knighted Sir Harry jumps at a powerful baron's invitation to ride north on a secret mission. A dozen knights attack a crumbling Scottish keep, capturing a feral, half-starved teen barely a year younger than Harry. When Harry shields the Scottish boy from the other knights' cruelty, they force Harry to take him as his squire. At first, it's hopeless. The Scottish boy is surly, violent, and interested only in freedom. But over an uneasy autumn, the boy realizes he can have his victory -- and his revenge -- on tiltyards just as well as battlefields. With the Scottish boy by his side, Harry wins tournament after tournament and becomes a favourite of King Edward. But underneath the pageantry smoulder twin secrets: a growing passion, and the Scottish boy's mysterious heritage. As England once again hurtles towards war, these secrets threaten to consume everything Harry holds dear"--Back cover

Book Synopsis

1333. Edward III is at war with Scotland. Nineteen-year-old Sir Harry de Lyon yearns to prove himself in the war, and jumps at the chance when a powerful English baron, William Montagu, invites him on a secret mission with a dozen elite knights. They ride north, to a crumbling Scottish keep, capturing the feral, half-starved boy within and putting the other inhabitants to the sword. But nobody knows why the flower of English knighthood snuck over the border to capture a savage, dirty teenage boy. Montagu gives the boy to Harry as his squire, with only two rules: don't let him escape, and convert him to the English cause. At first, it's hopeless. The Scottish boy is surly and violent, and eats anything that isn't nailed down. Then Harry begins to notice things: that, as well as Gaelic, the boy speaks flawless French, with an accent much different from Harry's Norman one. That he can read the language - Latin, too. And when Harry finally convinces the boy - Iain mac Maíl Coluim - to cut his filthy curtain of hair, the face revealed is the most beautiful thing Harry has ever seen. With Iain as his squire, Harry wins tournament after tournament and becomes a favourite of the King. But underneath the pageantry smoulders twin secrets: Harry and Iain's growing passion for each other, and Iain's mysterious heritage. As England hurtles towards war once again, these secrets will destroy everything Harry holds dear.

About the Author

Alex de Campi is a British-American writer of comic books and TV/film. Her most recent books include Bad Girls, Dredd: Final Judgement, Ghost in the Shell: Global Neural Network and Twisted Romance. She's been nominated for an Eisner award (for Smoke/Ashes) and a Bram Stoker award (for No Mercy). She lives in New York City.