The Silver Blade - by Sally Gardner (Paperback)

About the Book

As she did in "The Red Necklace" and the award-winning "I, Coriander," Gardner spins an epic tale that combines a vivid sense of history, characters full of Dickensian drama and fascination, and a sizzling adventure.

Book Synopsis

A sizzling sequel to The Red Necklace . . .

A fearless young man fights for love and justice, set against the backdrop of the treacherous French Revolution.

"A luscious melodrama, rich in sensuous detail from horrific to sublime, with an iridescent overlay of magic."--Kirkus Reviews

Mysterious Yann returns to revolutionary France in 1794 to smuggle out aristocratic refugees who will otherwise face the guillotine. His darling Sido is in England, safe from the Reign of Terror. But while the two are apart, Yann's Gypsy origins prejudice Sido's guardian against their marriage, spoiling their longed-for reunion. When Sido is kidnapped under strange circumstances, however, Yann must use all his strength and courage to outwit the fearful count, rescue Sido, and help save all of France.

Review Quotes

"A luscious melodrama, rich in sensuous detail from horrific to sublime, with an iridescent overlay of magic."--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Sally Gardner grew up and still lives in London. Being dyslexic, she did not learn to read or write until she was fourteen and had been thrown out of several schools, labeled unteachable, and sent to a school for maladjusted children. Despite this, she gained a degree with highest honors at a leading London art college, followed by a scholarship to a theater school, and then went on to become a very successful costume designer, working on some notable productions. After the births of twin daughters and a son, she started first to illustrate and then to write picture books and chapter books, usually with fairytale- or otherwise magical subject matter. She has been called "an idiosyncratic genius" by London's Sunday Times. I, Coriander is her first book for older readers, and she is currently working on a second.