drought by pam bachorz


Ruby, along with her fellow congregants, has spent the last two hundred years enslaved to Darwin West and his Overseers while waiting for the return of her father and savior, Otto. Ruby and her fellow congregants spend their days in misery. Half-starved, beaten, and thirsty, they work from sunrise to sunset in the woods, harvesting water on their hands and knees with pewter cups and spoons that they dump into a cistern every night. Some of the congregants have a secret: the pewter is a cover-up for what really makes their water magic (Ruby's blood). When Ruby connects with a kind and handsome overseer named Ford, the desire to leave becomes unbearable, and she must make a choice. Bachorz' stark prose paired with Ruby's strong voice will appeal to fans of Carrie Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth series. An excellent addition to any Individual v Society list. Bachorz's website has plenty of extras. Grade 8+

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