Book description
In an isolated society, one girl makes a discovery that will change everything — and learns that a single stone, once set in motion, can bring down a mountain.
Jena — strong, respected, reliable — is the leader of the line, a job every girl in the village dreams of.…
- Coming soon!
Why read it?
1 author picked A Single Stone as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
A beautifully told tale about a group of young girls who work the ‘line’ – squeezing into rock crevices to find the harvest for their community, which is a matriarchal society.
The girls must remain small, and go through years of training, but when Jenna, the leader of the line, moves a single stone, she makes a discovery that threatens all she knows to be true.
McKinlay's clever, understated writing in this YA novel provokes profound questions about how far the leaders will go to protect themselves and their ideals. And the focus on a matriarchal society offers opportunity for…
From Sara's list on dystopias to make you think about women’s experiences.
If you love A Single Stone...
Jane Addams
This biography for middle-grade readers and up explains who Jane Addams was and why she caused such a stir worldwide. The story follows Addams' first childhood realization of how poverty limits lives, livelihoods, and health to her becoming one of the most beloved―and disliked―women of her day. She worked to…
Want books like A Single Stone?
Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like A Single Stone.
Share your top 3 reads of 2025!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,395
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like A Single Stone, you might also like...
On the Horizon
Lois Lowry looks back at history through a personal lens as she draws from her own memories as a child in Hawaii and Japan, as well as from historical research, in this stunning work in verse for young readers.
On the Horizon tells the story of people whose lives were…
A School for Unusual Girls
A spy school for girls amidst Jane Austen’s high society.
Daughters of the Beau Monde who don’t fit London society’s strict mold are banished to Stranje House, where the headmistress trains these unusually gifted girls to enter the dangerous world of spies in the Napoleonic wars. #1 NYT bestselling author…
