Plain Kate facts for kids
The cover of Plain Kate
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| Author | Erin Bow |
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| Cover artist | Juliana Kolesova Lillie Howard (design) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy, Wood Carving, Witchcraft |
| Published | Arthur A. Levine Books |
| Pages | 311, 314 including Acknowledgments |
| ISBN | 978-0-545-16664-5 |
| Preceded by | N/A |
Plain Kate is an exciting fantasy novel written by Erin Bow. It was published in 2010 by Arthur A. Levine Books, which is part of Scholastic. The story takes inspiration from old Russian folktales.
The book is about an orphan girl named Katerina, but everyone calls her Plain Kate. People blame her for witchcraft because she is very good at carving wood. She has to face a real witch and even sell her own shadow to survive.
Contents
The Story of Plain Kate
Kate's Early Life
Katerina Svetlana, known as Plain Kate, grew up in a small market town called Samilae. She was an orphan. Her father, a skilled woodcarver, raised her after her mother passed away. Sadly, her father later died from a sickness called ‘witches Fever’.
Kate was too young and poor to join the woodcarving guild. This meant she had to live in her father's old market stall. She tried to earn a living by selling her own wood carvings.
A Strange Deal
One day, a mysterious stranger named Linay appeared. He offered Kate her heart's greatest wish. In return, he wanted her shadow. Kate first said no to his offer.
But then, Linay started spreading rumors that Kate was a witch. Feeling unsafe and needing to escape, Kate finally agreed to his deal. Linay gave her basic supplies for her journey. Her wish was not to be alone. Because of this, her pet cat, Taggle, gained the power to speak!
Joining the Roamers
Kate then joined a group of Roamers. These were nomads who traveled from town to town, selling their goods. On her journey, Kate met a girl named Drina. Drina told Kate about her uncle, who became very sad after Drina's mother was accused of witchcraft.
A few days later, Kate shared her secret with Drina. She told her that a witch had taken her shadow.
The Spreading Fog
As they traveled, a strange fog began to creep up the river. This fog brought a "sleeping death" to anyone it touched. People in the countryside became very scared. They were quick to accuse any stranger or Roamer of witchcraft.
Kate and Drina barely escaped an angry crowd in a town called Toila. The other Roamers started to think Kate was causing too much trouble. Worse, the mysterious fog began to affect the Roamers too. Some of them blamed Kate for everything. When they discovered Kate had no shadow and Taggle could talk, they decided she was dangerous.
Linay's Plan
Kate managed to escape the Roamers. She woke up in a small boat. She found out that Linay had saved her from drowning. Her hands were bandaged, and she had clean clothes. Linay told her he didn't want her to drown.
Kate then realized something important. Linay was actually Drina's uncle! She also understood that the fog was a rusalka. This was the spirit of Drina's mother, Lenore. Linay promised to give Kate her shadow back when they reached Lov, a big city downriver.
However, Linay needed Kate's help for his plan. He was leading his sister, Lenore, down the river. He kept her under control by giving her his blood. But now he had no more blood to give. He asked Kate to offer some of her own blood. Taggle warned Kate not to agree. But Kate, feeling she had no choice, reluctantly started to feed her blood to Lenore every night. Soon, she found out her shadow was kept in a box made from the remains of her old market stall.
Saving Lov City
Kate tried to free her shadow, but she failed. She then decided she could not let Linay destroy Lov. She fled from Linay's boat, hoping to reach the stone city before him. On her way, she met Drina and Behjet, Drina's father's twin. Behjet had fallen into the sleeping death. Drina said the ghost had taken other Roamers too.
Together, Kate and Drina arrived at Lov. There, they saw Linay being captured by the city guards. He was shouting for them to burn him.
With Kate's shadow, the rusalka began to destroy Lov. Kate and Drina begged Linay to stop her, but he refused. Taggle remembered a rule of magic. He bravely jumped onto Kate's knife, sacrificing himself. This act gave back his power of speech. His sacrifice stopped the Rusalka's attack on the city.
The Rusalka changed back into Lenore. She comforted the dying Linay and her daughter, Drina. They left Lov and found Behjet awake. Before Lenore faded away completely into the afterlife, she gave Kate one last gift. She used her magic to bring Taggle back to life, though he could no longer speak.
Later, as it grew dark, Plain Kate found Linay's green boat. Inside, she found the box that held her shadow. The box also contained a sack full of gold and silver. There was a note from Linay that simply said: "Kate. I hope you live."
