Newbery Honor-winning author Gail Carson Levine pens a tale of family, prejudice, faith, and unlikely friendship in medieval England, for every child who is more perceptive than they seem, and braver than they know. Growing up in medieval England, Chera, Lummie, and Joan are unusual. They are two girls and a boy, and two Jews and a Christian. And they enjoy adventures in the forest, even though it supposedly crawls with ne'er-do-wells and sprites. Lummie and Joan are brave, while Chera is cautious. Still, their unusualness brings them closer as true friends--until their quiet happiness is shattered by the shocking murders of Chera's grandmother, a Jewish moneylender, and Joan's mother, her Christian maid. Even as a knight leads the inquest into her grandame's death, Chera can't shake a small voice in her head that says there's more to this tragedy than meets the eye. With lives in the balance, this trio of friends must band together against the odds and call on their unusual bonds to help seek justice.