Mattie Weaver

Mattie wants to be a master weaver like her grandfather, Pie. He makes exquisite baskets to sell and earn money to help their village. He tells Mattie she must practice and have patience. But that is one thing Mattie doesn''t have a lot of. The new king is a tyrant and rules the kingdom with cruelty and greed. Mattie''s father ends up in prison when he rebels against King Minihart. Mattie wants to rescue her father, but again, Pie urges patience. Finally, Pie is ready to trust Mattie with the secret of where he sells the baskets for silver. On the journey, bandits try to steal from them, but Pie is prepared. He has a magic flute! Mattie gains even more respect for her talented grandfather. They then devise a plan to visit Mattie''s father at the mine where Minihart sends dissenters to work until they are too weak to protest. They find that Mattie''s father, Marcus, has been working to build resistance from within the prison mine and wants to help his fellow prisoners get better living conditions. Pie and Mattie return home where Mattie continues working on her basket-making skills. But Pie is growing older and weaker by the day. He tries to prepare his granddaughter to take his place in helping the family and the villagers. Before her grandfather dies, he shows Mattie how to turn the baskets into gold to help out the village. But greedy King Minihart finds out and locks Mattie in prison. Finally with patience and perseverance, and a bit of help from her friends, Mattie escapes. Pie''s spirit, and his magic flute, go with her, reassuring her that she can foil the evil plans of King Minihart.