Messenger » (Reprint)

Ron Rifkin has appeared in the films Wolf and JFK, starred on Broadway in Arthur Miller's Broken Glass and has played recurring roles on television in the series The Trials of Rosie O'Neill and the award-winning drama series ER.

For the past six years, Matty has lived in Village and flourished under the guidance of Seer, a blind man, known for his special sight. Village was a place that welcomed newcomers, but something sinister has seeped into Village and the people have voted to close it to outsiders. Matty has been invaluable as a messenger. Now he must make one last journey through the treacherous forest with his only weapon, a power he unexpectedly discovers within himself.

The Washington Post - Elizabeth Ward

It sounds abstract and portentous, but Lowry's mastery of dramatic pacing, eye for homey detail and sly sense of humor combine to make this allegorical world seem far more real than the cardboard-cutout malls and schools of many a "realistic" YA novel.