About the Author

Kate Banks is the award-winning author of many books, including most recently This Baby. She lives in the south of France.

Peter Sis is the three-time Caldecott-Honor writer/illustrator of many books, including Tibet Through the Red Box. He lives in Westchester County, New York.

Reviews

"Banks has woven a beautiful, mystical journey that will enable insightful readers to ponder their own callings and place in the world." --School Library Journal "A moving, thoughtful apprentice tale." --Kirkus "Sís's distinctive, diminutive line drawings appear throughout as spot illustrations, perfectly complementing the understated yet rich voice in which Baz's story is told." --Publishers Weekly ". . . beautiful . . ." --Booklist ". . . lyrical, imagistic, and thought-provoking." --Horn Book

Gr 5-8-When a stranger appears in their small dusty village where every day is a carbon copy of the one before, Baz feels it is his destiny to follow him, just as his brothers did years ago. After traveling with the stranger for many days, they reach the village of Kallah, and Baz begins an apprenticeship as a weaver. Eager to embrace his new calling, he is dismayed to learn that his master is a cruel man who whips the apprentices, stripping them of their dignity and independence. When the boy is sold to a magician for a sword, he is wary of his new owner, Tadis, as they set off on a long and arduous journey across mountain and desert. Tadis, however, is a wise man who teaches Baz the importance of finding one's true calling. Along the way, the boy must learn to decipher Tadis's lyrical words and find the significance of illusions in his life. Sis's black-and-white illustrations are interspersed throughout, adding depth and character to Baz and his travels. Banks has woven a beautiful, mystical journey that will enable insightful readers to ponder their own callings and place in the world.-Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.