Whitebeam

A young girl of mysterious but significant parentage joins Scotland’s medieval rebellion against the English in this YA historical novel. At the cusp of the 14th century, aristocratic young Isobel MacDuff and dashing nobleman Rob—destined to become Scottish hero Robert the Bruce—deposit their love child for safekeeping on the remote Isle of Arran. Woven around real events, as the story unfolds, the child Pippa’s true identity must be kept secret, even from herself, lest she run afoul of her parents’ ruthless enemies. Unaware of these intrigues, Pippa is raised high in a secluded glen by a foster-mother. But as she approaches adolescence, the grim realities of war entangle her in her family’s struggle against the English. Forced by events to join her father’s household, she is appalled by the violence and misery he has set in motion. But by the time Pippa begins to understand the harsh necessity that drives him, war has wreaked its vengeance on her own life.