The Rogues
With Robert J. Harris
Philomel Books: 2007
ISBN# 9780399238987

This is what the publisher says about the book: “When everyone in his Scottish village is violently evicted from their land by the laird, Roddy Macallan knows he must find a way to fight back. As his family escapes, making their way through the Scottish Highlands bound for Glasgow, Roddy sneaks home in search of a treasure his mother once told him was hidden there. But the search becomes more than that when Roddy teams up with a Robin Hood–like rogue who roams the Highlands just ahead of the unscrupulous laird. A powerful and resounding adventure in the best tradition of Yolen and Harris.”

Bob Harris and I wanted to write a book about the Scottish Clearances, and have it also be an homage to KIDNAPPED, that great novel by Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson. So our Rogue himself is named Alan Dunbar as a nod to Stevenson’s Alan Breck “an ‘honest gentleman’ and Jacobite,” and one of the great characters of Scottish fiction. OPur book was long called “The Rogue’s Apprentice” which is still a better name for it. But the publisher, Philomel, also publishes the popular RANGER’S APPRENTICE series and they didn’t want to get them mixed up. Sigh.

This is the final book in our Scottish Quartet (or Stewart Quartet as Bob and I call it) and I love the last line in the narrative (not the epilogue.) I’m both happy and sorry this group of novels is finished. A lot of hard work and a LOT of research, and Bob is a dream to write with. But he’s on to his own work now (see his website: http://www.harris-authors.com/

Awards etc.: A Junior Library Guild book, and a starred review in Booklist got it off to a good start.

What reviewers have said: “With swift brutality, wealthy lords in the Scottish highlands have cleared their estates of tenant farmers to turn the land over to grazing sheep, whose wool could be sold to British textiles factories at a greater profit. In this fourth Scottish-tale collaboration by Yolen and Harris, Roddy Macallan’s family is one of the victims. When their pleas meet deaf ears, the farmers embark on dramatic, often heartbreaking journeys to Glasgow or to distant American cities. Roddy turns back to search for a treasured jewel he is sure his mother, before her death, said lay hidden in their cottage. At least if he could get this “blessing,” the family could sell it for desperately needed funds. The risky journey almost kills the intrepid lad. Not only must he face the heartless laird, or lord, but also the laird’s vicious henchman, Rood. Then there is the mysterious rogue, Alan Dunbar, a highlander who is fighting the laird in his own way. Can Roddy trust him, or would Dunbar just as soon steal the valuable blessing for himself? Although Roddy finds the treasure a wee bit too easily at the outset, the suspense mounts and the plot races along flawlessly in this excellent historical adventure.”--Booklist

“The authors deftly weave historical facts into their action-packed adventure,. . . it is thoroughly engaging. They write in Scottish dialect and syntax, which readers should get the hang of fairly quickly. The story would make a great read-aloud for anyone who would like to tackle the accent.”--School Library Journal

“The authors weave strong feelings and a clear sense of setting into a story that gains momentum as it progresses and also ends happily. A good finish to the quartet, with echoes of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped to savor.”—Kirkus

“The well-researched novel revolves around the Highland Clearances of the 1700s. Thousands of Scottish families were uprooted to make way for British squatters and their livestock. Many fled to the coast and on to America, the fate of Roddy and his family. Roddy's first-person narrative moves along at a quick and witty pace. The exchanges between Roddy and Willie Rood, the laird's hired thug, will have readers cheering for the young hero. The characters of Bonnie Josie and Alan Dunbar are wonderfully written and add a sense of hope to Roddy's almost impossible quest. It is a story of honor, the willingness to believe, and personal growth. The novel is an excellent end to a top-notch series”—VOYA