A tale of two sisters, bound together by a braid of hair, even as fate pulls them apart.

In alternating narrative poems, sisters Jeannie and Sarah share their interwoven stories. As Jeannie leaves Scotland during the Highland Clearances with her father, mother, and younger siblings, Sarah stays behind with her grandmother, hiding so she can remain in the Western Isles where their family had lived for generations. Each sister carries a length of the other's hair braided with her own, a reminder of their unbreakable bond despite the distance between them.

Award-winning poet Helen Frost twists strand over strand of language, braiding words at the edges of her poems to create new poetic forms while intertwining the destinies of two young girls and those who cross their paths in this unforgettable novel in verse. An author's note describes the inventive poetic form in detail.

The Braid is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year, perfect for fans of historical fiction and sibling stories told through poetry.