I am happy to thank my wonderful agent, Jean Naggar, and her hard-working staff for finding me a home at Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers. Once again, I've been blessed with gifted editors. Thanks to Michelle Frey for the broad scope of her vision and the clarity of her focus. She framed the story so that it made more sense, even to me. Thanks also to Michele Burke for her excellent, insightful editing and for keeping me abreast of events. For the lovely design of this book, I thank Isabel Warren-Lynch and Stephanie Moss, and for the arresting cover art, I thank Tristan Elwell. Their work is a seamless combination that exactly reflects what I had in mind. Thank you all for the care you have taken in turning my story into a beautiful book.
Finally, I want to thank Deborah Hogan and Shelly Shapiro for their help in bringing this work to fruition. Without them, Guinevere's Gift would have withered on the vine.
Nancy McKenzie
February 2008
THIS IS A BORZOI BOOK PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A. KNOPF
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2008 by Nancy McKenzie
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
KNOPF, BORZOI BOOKS, and the colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
www.randomhouse.com/teens
Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at
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Library of Congress Catalogingin-Publication Data
McKenzie, Nancy.
Guinevere's gift / Nancy McKenzie. — 1st ed.
p. cm. — (The Chrysalis Queen quartet)
SUMMARY: When the orphaned Guinevere is twelve years old, living with Queen Alyse and King Pellinore of Gwynedd, she fearlessly helps rescue her cousin from kidnappers who are plotting to seize the palace and overthrow the king, even as the queen despairs of Guinevere's rebellious nature.
1. Guenevere, Queen (Legendary character)—Childhood and youth—Fiction.
[1. Guenevere, Queen (Legendary character)—Childhood and youth—Fiction. 2. Orphans—Fiction. 3. Kings, queens, rulers, etc.—Fiction. 4. Cousins—Fiction. 5. Great Britain—History—To 1066—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.M198632Gu 2008
[Fic]—dc22
2007028782
eISBN: 978-0-375-84941-1
v3.0
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