The Ugly One

by Leanne Statland Ellis

Overview

“[A] quiet, deeply moving story.” —The Bulletin

Twelve-year-old Micay walks around her fifteenth-century Incan village shielding the scarred side of her face that inspired the cruel name Millay, or “Ugly One.” She escapes to her huaca rock, avoiding the villagers who shun her. Her world shifts dramatically when a stranger gives her a sorry-looking baby macaw. The bird becomes her dear companion on a journey that ultimately leads her to a new role as shaman in Machu Picchu’s Sacred Sun City. Told in an engaging storyteller’s voice, this is a stirring tale of a girl who finds her own strength.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544439177
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/10/2015
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	378,401
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.60(h) x 3.10(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Leanne Statland Ellis teaches third to fifth graders in the Chicago area. She was inspired to write The Ugly One by her travels in Peru, including two visits to Machu Picchu. She lives near Chicago with her husband and daughter.

Editorial Reviews

"The Incan empire's four-century ascendance has inspired plenty of nonfiction and over-the-top fantasy but perplexingly little historical fiction for kids. This recommended title can help fill that void."
—Kirkus

"This quiet, deeply moving story reminds readers of the true nature of beauty."
—Booklist Online

"Micay's intimate narration weaves in Quechua vocabulary and abundant references to Incan folklore, enhancing the novel's vivid sense of time and place."
—Publishers Weekly

"A gripping story of a girl who transforms from a cowed outcast into a confident leader, this will find an audience among tweens and teens beginning to question what fate has in store for them."
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books —

From the Publisher

Inspired by the author's travels to Peru, Ellis's coming-of-age tale follows the small but significant story of 12-year-old Incan girl named Micay, who is shunned by her community because of "the deep scar that ran like a river from my right eye down my cheek to my lip and lowered my mouth in a permanent half frown." That changes, however, when a "jungle stranger" comes to town and gives her a scruffy baby macaw named Sumac Huanacauri ("Handsome Rainbow"), who protects her from her tormentor Ucho's cruelty and teaches her to free herself from doubt, as well as accept that she may be destined for a greater purpose. Micay leaves her "wasi" (one-room home) to explore and study with Paqo, a "mighty shaman" from Cuzco. Micay's intimate narration weaves in Quechua vocabulary and abundant references to Incan folklore, enhancing the novel's vivid sense of time and place. Despite the element of shamanism and Micay's communication with spirits, her transformation is subtle and pragmatic as she evolves from fearful outsider to empowered individual. Ages 9–12. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Micay's name means "Beautiful Round Face" in Quechua, but her disfiguring facial scar has earned her the nickname Millay, "Ugly One," from bullies in her Incan village. Fleeing to her special rock, she hides behind her long hair, but the taunts persist. Having a beautiful sister compounds her misery. When a stranger traveling to the Sacred Sun City (Machu Picchu) gives her a fledgling macaw, Micay emerges from her defensive shell. The bird she's named Sumac, "Handsome," becomes her companion and protector, leading her to the Paqo (village shaman), who takes her on as his apprentice. The Paqo is a mystery: Why did he forsake his powerful position in Cuzco for a humble village? He trains Micay in the healing arts, bringing her to an assembly of shamans seeking to end the relentless drought afflicting the empire. Despite their sacrifices and pleas to the gods, the drought worsens, and Micay fears the Paqo may be driven from the village. Though fantasy elements exist, the novel strives for historical accuracy. Micay's an appealing, if subdued, protagonist, and the rich cultural and physical setting trumps the somewhat derivative plot. The Incan empire's four-century ascendance has inspired plenty of nonfiction and over-the-top fantasy but perplexingly little historical fiction for kids. This recommended title can help fill that void. (glossary, author's note) (Historical fiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews