Stuart Quartet

A Highland lad comes of age at the brutal battle of Culloden in 18th-century Scotland. In the year 1745, the cry goes out across the Scottish Highlands for every able-bodied Scotsman to take up arms in support of Bonnie Prince Charlie. Stalwart and brave but prone to sudden seizures, young Duncan longs to join his da and the other men of clan MacDonald in the noble fight against the English. His father decrees the boy must remain behind, but the call to war is impossible to ignore, and when Duncan learns of his uncle's death in battle, he joins his cousin Ewan and sets out to fight for their country and their prince. But the reality of war is not the glorious undertaking Duncan has long heard spoken of and sung in stirring ballads and stories - and on the battlefield of Culloden he will be tested in ways he never could have imagined and leave boyhood behind forever amid the blood, fire, and death. Critically acclaimed, award-winning authors Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris merge their considerable storytelling talents in a riveting, moving tale of a young boy's rocky and perilous road to manhood. Richly atmospheric and firmly based in fact, Prince Across the Water is enthralling historical fiction - a powerful and unforgettable journey back in time and an unflinching look at the true face of war.

A Highland lad joins forces with a notorious Scottish "Robin Hood" to seek revenge on the greedy laird who destroyed the boy's village. Authors Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris have garnered resounding critical acclaim for their thrilling historical novels that bring Scotland's colorful past to breathtaking life. Now they return to the Highlands with an enthralling tale of a young boy's lawless coming of age during the dark days of the Clearances. The early years of the 19th century are hard times for farmers in the Scottish Highlands. Young Roddy Macallan and his family are among the villagers cruelly driven from their lands when a new laird decides it would be more profitable to lease the ground to English sheep farmers. Returning in secret to the ruins of his home to retrieve a precious family heirloom - a "blessing" once presented to a Macallan ancestor by Bonnie Prince Charlie - Roddy is discovered and savagely beaten by order of the laird's sadistic enforcer, William Rood, who then steals the treasure for his master. Were it not for the timely arrival of the notorious outlaw Alan Dunbar, the boy would surely be dead. Taken under the wing of the infamous "Rogue," young Roddy begins a new life as a renegade. Now, against all odds and with the aid and guidance of his bold criminal mentor, the determined lad will seek a righteous vengeance on the powerful villains who wronged him and his clan.