Napoli is a great writer. I love the development of her characters. This is the story of a story of an Irish princess who is captured and sold as a slave. Her one weapon/advantage against her captors is to remain silent, thus arousing their curiosity and admiration all at once. Which comes good and bad as she arouses too much interest in one of her owners. She is afforded favors other slaves are not, however, she is still a slave and is continually reminded of that fact. I appreciated the author not simply 'creating' a happy ending that wouldn't have ever happened in that time. She does come to a type of acceptance with her situation but it cheesy. I liked this a lot and felt like it was a great story. ( )

This story is based on a story found in an Icelandic saga about a Irish princess, Melkorka, kidnapped by Russian pirates and sold to an Icelandic sailor named Hoskuld. At first she is royally affronted but she takes the advice of another slave and pretends to be mute. On the way to Iceland she learns Viking words and by the time she gets to Iceland she has come to appreciate her captor and is pregnant with his child. She learns about healing from another slave and adjusts to the knowledge that she will never get home to learn the fate of her family.

Wonderful depiction of the rough, poor, proud life of the early people of northern Europe. ( )

I read the book Hush By Donna Jo Napoli. THis book was recommened to me by my aunt. A decided to read thios book because it sounded like it would be interesting. Even the first 3 pages were cought me.It had all sorts of Drama going on.This is why i read the book.
The book is about a girl who is stolen by vickings. She was trying to hide away from the war her fater was about to start, after her brothers hand got cut off.She then discovered she was on a slave ship.After she was caught she shocked them with her power to hush. she never said a word to anyone no matter how bad she was miss treated.
The book Hush, by Donna Jo Napoli, was very good. A girllearned to use a small power.It shows even the smallest things can make a difference.It was all that i expected. I recommend that everyone should read this book. ( )

Reviewed by JodiG. for TeensReadToo.com

What would you do if you were torn away from your life and everything you knew and forced into slavery? If you were taken to new places where people spoke different languages than you, how would you persevere?

Meet Melkorka, the oldest daughter of an Irish king. As members of royalty, Melkorka and her brother, Nuada, and sister, Brigid, enjoy life at the top of the social structure. In Dublin, travelers from around the world gather to sell their wares. The "heathen" Vikings are among them. Melkorka wants nothing more for her birthday than to visit the stores in Dublin with her family and find the perfect brooch for her cape. The trip ends tragically when her brother is attacked in one of the shops. Although Nuada has survived, he is disfigured and, therefore, no longer able to be the future king.

Melkorka's father, the king, develops a plan for revenge against the Viking offenders. The plan involves luring a Viking ship to their town. Melkorka and her younger sister, Brigid, are sent away in the dark of night to assure their safety.

Before they can reach their destination, Melkorka and Brigid are abducted and taken aboard a ship bound for an unknown destination. Although her instinct is to announce her royal status and demand to be treated as such, Melkorka succumbs to the hints from Brigid and the word she has heard her mother utter so often, "Hush." She becomes silent, refusing to speak to her abductors, the other prisoners, or even to scream at the horrors she sees inflicted upon others.

While Brigid manages a daring escape, Melkorka remains captive, forming silent bonds with those she is held prisoner with and captivating one of her abductors. Her silence becomes her strength, an unbreakable and enticing gift. But how will a princess adapt to life as a slave? Will she ever escape or will she remain silenced forever?

HUSH is based on an Icelandic folk tale. Donna Jo Napoli has gone to great lengths to create a story for the princess/slave described in the tale. Her writing draws you into the story; you can almost feel the cold air from the deck of the Viking ship. This is an amazing tale of strength and perseverance in the face of insurmountable challenges. A highly recommended reading experience. ( )

I loved this book. This is the first of Donna Jo's young adult books that I've read, and it holds all the magic of story and words that she displays in her early chapter books. Most of the book, especially after Melkorka and her sister are taken, takes place in Melkorka's head and through her eyes. Her transformation from a spoiled princess to a strong and defiant young woman is slow and natural, as are all her misgivings about herself along the way that we are privy to.

The setting and the story are, as in all of Donna Jo's books, well-researched and richly described. We see them through Melkorka's eyes, eyes that have never left her corner of Ireland, so the detailed descriptions do not distract from or feel out of place in the story. The customs and actions of the various peoples Melkorka comes across during her travels on the slave ship are also described and their nationalities and trade routes are explained. Why is the Russian slave trader that capture Melkorka at a Norse tri-annual democratic gathering? For reasons a, b, and c, which the reader learns as plot elements rather than fact.

The handling of the slave trade is also delicately handled. These men do not only pillage, and the young girls who are not raped early on, Melkorka included, are later sold at a higher price because of their virginity. The rapes are not graphic, but they are present. Melkorka's first night with her new owner is told through her series of denials rather than what is physically happening to her. The pain, physical and emotional, and rage and anguish are still there, but the violence is not. Especially in a book where the rape of female slaves is omnipresent, this way of handling it is both honest and tactful. ( )