{"product_id":"the-rat-queen-9781536218589","title":"The Rat Queen","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom National Book Award winner Pete Hautman comes a mysterious modern-day fairy tale about developing a moral compass--and the slippery nature of conscience.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor Annie's tenth birthday, her papa gives her a pad of paper, some colored pencils, and the Klimas family secret. It's called the\u003ci\u003e nuodeema burna\u003c\/i\u003e, or eater of sins. Every time Annie misbehaves, she has to write down her transgression and stick the paper into a hidey-hole in the floor of their house. But Annie's inheritance has a dark side: with each paper fed to the \u003ci\u003eburna\u003c\/i\u003e, she feels less guilty about the mean things she says and does. As a plague of rats threatens her small suburban town and the mystery of her birthright grows, Annie--caught in a cycle of purging her misdeeds--begins to \u003ci\u003estop\u003c\/i\u003e growing. It is only when she travels to her family's home country of Litvania to learn more about the \u003ci\u003eburna\u003c\/i\u003e that Annie uncovers the magnitude of the truth. Gripping and emotionally complex, Pete Hautman's inventive yarn for middle-grade readers draws on magical realism to explore coming of age and the path to moral responsibility.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePete Hautman\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of many acclaimed books for young readers and adults, including the National Book Award-winning \u003ci\u003eGodless\u003c\/i\u003e, the Edgar Allan Poe Award-winning \u003ci\u003eOtherwood\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSlider\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eEden West\u003c\/i\u003e, and the Klaatu Diskos trilogy. He divides his time between Wisconsin and Minnesota.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Candlewick Press (MA)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50485988983058,"sku":"9781536218589","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_8172b7b0-bd5c-411b-8fba-5a49f24a3b87.jpg?v=1737211726","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-rat-queen-9781536218589","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}