Book excerpt: A young girl follows Joan of Arc into battle in this gripping historical novel. Having grown up in the quiet French village of Domremy, eleven-year-old Gabrielle can’t resist the promise of experiencing something new. So when her friend Jeannette d’Arc claims to have been chosen by God to restore the French king to the throne and end the war that has raged too long, Gabrielle joins her on her crusade. Disguised as a boy, young Gabrielle uses her skills as a healer to help those fighting for the cause. At first, she expects to find glorious adventure, but experiencing the horrors of war, she must come to terms with the true cost of courage in the face of the unthinkable. This “gripping, gritty tale” is a unique perspective on the heroine of the Hundred Years’ War who was later canonized as a Roman Catholic saint (Kirkus Reviews).