The Book of the Maidservant
Random House Children’s Books, Fall 2009
“Before cockcrow when my mistress is still abed and I’m sitting on my heels coaxing the embers into life with my breath, I stare into the fire with no fear of the devil. The devil, I think, wakes up when my mistress does.”
It’s the 15th century and Johanna is a serving girl to a woman who is either holy or crazy, depending on your point of view. During a pilgrimage from England to Rome, her mistress abandons Johanna, leaving her to make her own way to Rome.