Something strange is happening to the people of Hameln and it's up to Salz to figure it out.
What a depressing book. If nothing else, it's a detailed description of how ergot poisoning moves through a medieval German village and how superstition and religion can get in the way of problem solving, especially if everyone's on an acid trip. However, it's as if the author got lost on the way to a more interesting story.
The cover flap implies that this is a retelling of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, and it is, but not in the way a reader would hope. It almost feels as if the author got lost in her research and decided to do a completely different book, but was under a contractual agreement to include the Piper. It would have been stronger without him.
Due to some graphic imagery, this book is unsuitable for anyone under 13 or 14. It is also written to a middle school level, so isn't quite right for grades 11-12. ( )

An adult in medieval Germany drank an estimated five liters of beer daily. This is just one of the facts Donna Jo Napoli uses in her retelling of the Pied Piper. Salz is a young man of twelve living with what Napoli reveals is cystic fibrosis in the postscript. Salz is a part of a papist coven, a group of people practicing Catholicism alongside the area's previous religious practices. While Salz struggles with this balance and with his health, a mysterious plague comes to Hamlen. Everyone assumes their infestation of rats is the cause, but Salz isn't so sure. Napoli has given us a thoughtful character in Salz, and his puzzlement about the cause of the plague adds mystery. As usual, Napoli does an excellent job with describing a historical period and making a tale realistically dark without overwhelming the reader. ( )

Breath was really, really good. It is a retelling of The Pied Piper told by Salz, a young boy who suffers from a disease that cripples his lungs and his ability to work. He is studying to become a cleric while also joining his grandmother in "good" witchcraft. The doubts that he has about God and the practices of his coven, as well as his intense awareness of his own mortality, make him an excellent character. The negativity in his life - disease, family abuse, etc - don't corrupt his good nature. He is a kind, loving boy throughout the book, which I would recommend to anyone who loves fairy tales. ( )