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Miscellaneous Tread Softly by Kate Pennington $9.99 / Hodder & Stoughton / 2005 Altho described as a children's book, the themes and the characters in Tread Softly are anything but childish. In fact, adults should enjoy the subtle understatement of Pennington's simple, elegant prose. An interesting sidelight to the novel's story is the description of the role that fashion played in 16thcentury politics. During the Renaissance, every item of garb, from points to shoelaces, made a statement. Into this world is thrown Mary Devereaux, the daughter of the Master Tailor at Saltleigh Hall, the country estate of Sir Sydney Campernowne. Through Campernowne's family relationships, Mary comes to the attention of Walter Raleigh, who is trying to regain Queen Elizabeth I's favor, having incurred the royal displeasure (and earned a stint in prison) for fighting on the tennis court. To this end, he requires the proper regalia to make his message of royal devotion clear and Mary is asked to make him a cloak for his audience at court. Through circumstance, Mary becomes privy to a Catholic plot to assassinate the queen, which may or may not include Raleigh. This book is not a cliffhanger in the traditional sense, for we know that Elizabeth was not assassinated. But the skill and dexterity with which Pennington weaves her characters in and out of intrigue, the vivid detail of her setting, and her spare and yet lyrical prose make Tread Softly a page-turner. —Anjli MacDonald of Clanranald

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