© 2010 Heather Tomlinson & Henry Holt

Toads and Diamonds

Henry Holt Books for Young Readers April 2010 * Ages 12 + up

Diribani has come to the village well to get water for her family's scant meal of curry and rice. She never expected to meet a goddess there. Yet she is granted a remarkable gift: flowers and precious jewels drop from her lips whenever she talks. It seems only right to Tana that the goddess judged her kind, lovely stepsister worthy of such riches. And when she encounters the goddess, she is not surprised to find herself speaking snakes and toads as a reward. Yet blessings and curses are never so clear as they might seem. As their fates hang in the balance, each sister struggles to understand her gift. Will it bring her wisdom, good fortune... or death?

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