{"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\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Candlewick Press (MA)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/11\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781536218589\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 400\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.25lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/15\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/15\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/01\/2022 pg. 74\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Pete Hautman","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42334538432693,"sku":"9781536218589","price":16.14,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_e944bf8e-5899-483f-8461-8e2eb68d6072.jpg?v=1660628865","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-rat-queen-9781536218589","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}