"Plain Kate" is a highly-acclaimed 2010 Fantasy novel by Erin Bow, inspired by Russian folklore. The story begins in the town of Samilae, where Plain Kate lives with her father, Piotr, a master woodcarver. Plain Kate learns to carve from an early age, and her skill with a knife leads the townspeople to accuse her of witchcraft. After her father dies in a bout of witch's fever, Plain Kate struggles to survive on the streets of Samilae, accompanied by Taggle, her cat whom she has raised since he was a kitten. While life is far from easy, Plain Kate gets by—until a meeting with an albino witch and granter of wishes leads to the loss of her home and shadow. Alone save for Taggle, who, due to the witch Linay's machinations, can now talk, Plain Kate strikes out with a tribe of Roamers (Gypsy ana