Publisher's Synopsis
A thrilling historical adventure (with Common Core connections) set in the underbelly of the Tower of London and on the Thames in Tudor times. Perfect for fans of Matthew J. Kirby's The Clockwork Three and F.E. Higgins's The Black Book of Secrets .
Basket Girl,
When you're dead
Who will carry
All the heads?
The crowds at the Tower of London love a good execution. As the basket girl, it's Moss's job to catch the heads that her father chops off. It's a life she longs to leave behind, but she, too, is a prisoner and there's no escaping the Tower walls.
Or is there? A hidden tunnel takes her to the shores of the great River Thames, where she meets Salter, a river rat who teaches her how to survive with her wits, and the occasional theft.
But there's a reason Moss's father insisted she never go near the river--a deal struck long ago--and now payment is due. . . .
Jane Hardstaff's The Executioner's Daughter is a thrilling historical adventure with a hint of a ghost story set amid the glamour and grime of Tudor London during the reign of Henry VIII.
Praise for The Executioner's Daughter :
Longlisted for the 2015 Oxfordshire Book Award
"Hardstaff has a real talent for creating a sense of place and drama . . . and her descriptions of the wretchedness of life on the river and a child's lowly lot are worth locking yourself up for an afternoon's reading pleasure." -- The Times (London)
"This notable debut mixes vivid history with supernatural adventure, and from its dark depths friendship, forgiveness, and parental love rise to the surface." -- The Sunday Times
