The Luck Uglies: Fork-Tongue Charmers

Gr 4–6—Rye and her friends Quinn and Folly are thrown together for another complex but fast-paced adventure in this second installment of a planned trilogy. While preparing for Silvermas with her family, Rye O'Chanter receives an unexpected message to join her father, who she has learned is a Luck Ugly, a member of a secret band of outlaws who once helped eradicate the Bog Noblins. Though Rye loves her father, she doesn't want to miss the village festivities, even with her mother's assurances that there will be a special holiday surprise from her father. Plans quickly change as life in their muddy village of Drowning worsens when the evil Earl of Longchamps hires an vile, intolerant sheriff who declares Rye and her family outlaws. They take refuge on the Isle of Pest, where Rye discovers that her mother has roots, meets her grandfather, and uncovers even more of her family's secrets. A menacing man named Slinester continues to threaten the protagonist and her family. The story line that started in The Luck Uglies (2014)—including the reappearance of fierce, treacherous Bog Noblins—continues, although this volume can be read independently. As in the first book, things and people are not always what they appear to be. The Luck Uglies, though outlaws, are rather like Robin Hood, who must fight to overcome the wretched Earl and recently elevated and thoroughly wicked sheriff.