Publisher's Synopsis
The heroines of these five tales which are based on old folk tales, come from different countries round the world: England, Ireland, Norway, the Ukraine, Egypt. But Mary, Fionna, Karl, Maruysa and Zaina have one very important quality in common - they are all very smart. Afraid of nothing, alive to everything, these girls can outwit anyone: a crafty king, a mean old farmer, an angry squire, a sultan's son, and a ghost.;Robert Leeson is the author of "It's My Life" and "Jan Alone". "Smart Girls" was shortlisted for the 1994 "Guardian" Children's Fiction Award.