Plain Kate
core novel 2010 Plain Kate
Record
| First published | 2010 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.76 (6,188 ratings, collected 2026-09-29) |
| Page count | 311 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780545166645 |
Synopsis
In a country where a song can heal a wound and a shadow can work deep magic, Katerina Svetlana, called Plain Kate, is a woodcarver's daughter who held a knife before a spoon. Her carved charms are so fine that some call her "witch-blade", a dangerous name in a town where witches are burned in the square. When her father dies of a fever and a strange fog settles over the countryside, ruining the crops, the townspeople look for someone to blame, and their eyes fall on the orphan living in his old market stall with her cat, Taggle. Then a stranger named Linay makes her an offer: her shadow, in exchange for the means to escape and the granting of her heart's wish. Kate takes the bargain and flees with the Roamers, but no one can live shadowless for long, and Linay's designs are darker than she dreamed.
Where it sits
- Universe: Plain Kate
- Series: not part of a registered series (standalone work within its universe)
- Author: Erin Bow
Awards (verified)
- TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, 2011: won
- Sunburst Award (Young Adult), 2011: nominated; Shortlisted.
Notes
- Arthur A. Levine Books (Scholastic), September 2010. Russian-flavoured historical fantasy; the author's debut novel.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- Scholastic Canada (publisher)
- https://www.thebooksmugglers.com/2010/08/joint-review-plain-kate-by-erin-bow.html
- CBC News
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