I read this book for my children's literature class. I tried so very hard to enjoy this narrative, but I just couldn't quite get into the story. For a children's novel, it took me quite a while to finish the entire thing. The characters are unique and the storyline is an interesting twist on the Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning. However, Malicia is the character I should have loved the most (since I love to write) and I struggled to connect with her at all. Perhaps I would have enjoyed this novel more when I was twelve.