'A gripping story of a girl who transforms from a cowed outcast into a confident leader, this will find an audience among tweens and teens beginning to question what fate has in store for them. 'Micay's intimate narration weaves in Quechua vocabulary and abundant references to Incan folklore, enhancing the novel's vivid sense of time and place.' 'This quiet, deeply moving story reminds readers of the true nature of beauty.' This recommended title can help fill that void.' A gripping story of a girl who transform from a cowed outcast into a confident leader, this will find an audience among tweens and teens beginning to question what fate has in store for them.'The Incan empire's four-century ascendance has inspired plenty of nonfiction and over-the-top fantasy but perplexingly little historical fiction for kids. Older middle-graders and young teens with an interest in history and other cultures will find the particulars of Incan life, including some less contemporary aspects (a couple of llamas are sacrificed and human sacrifice is referenced but not described). The measured, slightly formal tone of Ellis' prose suits the almost folktale-like structure of her narrative, while Micay's pain and confusion at being bullied for her disfigurement keeps the story personal and immediate. It is then that Micay learns that it has been her destiny all along to be the Marked Girl who would save her people, and that she is meant to train as a priestess with the high priest of the Incas. Add to Wish List Raiders from the Sea (Viking Quest Series 1) By Lois Walfrid Johnson Cover. Micays name means Beautiful Round Face in Quechua, but her disfiguring facial scar. She intends to ask for healing of her scar but instead finds herself asking for help for the starving people, and the rains finally come. by Leanne Statland Ellis RELEASE DATE: June 11, 2013. When a drought threatens the villagers and the Incan empire at large, Micay decides to travel to Machu Picchu with the entourage of the Incan emperor to ask the Sacred Rock a question. Caring for Sumac is the beginning of a transformation for Micay, as the bird eventually leads her to the house of the local shaman, the Paqo, who takes Micay on as a student, teaching her to see 'Beyond,' to heal, and to become more confident in herself. The Ugly One by Leanne Statland Ellis The young adult book genre has expanded rapidly over the last decade, creating reading niches for a variety of teenage interests, from the currently ubiquitous choices that include vampires and werewolves to the popular dystopian series. A stranger passing through her village sees her differently, however, and leaves her a gift: a scrawny baby macaw, named Sumac Huanacauri (Handsome Rainbow).

Adolescent Micay is known as 'the Ugly One' in her Incan village, thanks to a disfiguring facial scar she received in her youth.