The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly

For Kit Sweetly, the Castle, a medieval-themed restaurant with tournaments, knights, squires, and serving wenches, is practically the family business. Her uncle runs it; her brother Chris is the Red Knight; and she, much to her feminist chagrin, works as a wench. Kit’s been going there since she was a kid, she’s a true nerd about the Middle Ages (“Yeah. I have a heraldry book”), and she’s well aware of women’s roles riding and fighting. She even knows Chris’s routine, but company policy says that women can only be wenches or princesses. It’s not just the principle of the thing motivating Kit, either: knights earn more, and Kit’s family finances mean that she has to save for college. So when Chris doesn’t show one night, Kit jousts in his stead, creating havoc and ending up the star of a viral video. Debut author Pacton has a light touch, deftly balancing details of the real Middle Ages and the fake Castle version, and setting up Kit’s feminist battle with the higher-ups through the teen’s entertaining first-person narrative. The long-simmering attraction between Kit and her handsome friend Jett feels unsurprising, but Kit’s determination is handled well, as is her connection to friends and family. Ages 14–up. [em]Agent: Kate Testerman, KT Literary. (May) [/em]