Book record · Former Barking Rain Press title
The Scarred Letter
by Val Muller
After Heather Primm exposes steroid use on her school's football team, she is attacked, a 'T' is carved into her face and she becomes an outcast. Val Muller's young adult update of The Scarlet Letter was published by Barking Rain Press in 2014.
This book was once published by Barking Rain Press, which announced its closure in 2019. This site is not that publisher and does not sell books. See “Finding the book today” below.
Premise
Heather Primm is a student at Orchard Valley High School. She writes a blog post revealing that key players on the school’s football team, the Orchard Valley Thunderbolts, have been using steroids. The investigation that follows strips the team of its state title. Heather wins a journalism prize for the story, but most of her classmates turn against her. She is shunned by classmates and staff, and she is attacked and has a “T” carved into her face. The school then offers to move her to a private academy. Heather has to choose between standing by what she revealed and taking the way out.
The author calls the book a modern version of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. She has said readers do not need to know the original to follow it.
Publication history
Barking Rain Press published The Scarred Letter in 2014. When Val Muller revealed the cover in April 2014, she said the book would come out from Barking Rain Press that June. She credited the cover design to Craig Jennion. Open Library holds two 2014 records for the book under BRP Publishing Group, the organization behind Barking Rain Press, with ISBNs 978-1-935460-97-8 and 978-1-935460-98-5. Those records do not say which ISBN belongs to which format. The author’s book page mentions a Kindle edition, class sets for schools ordered through Mackin Educational Resources, and a study guide.
In a 2017 blog post, Muller listed the book with her other young adult titles, The Girl Who Flew Away and The Man with the Crystal Ankh. She referred to her “novels with Barking Rain Press,” which included this one. Desk research turned up no edition from another publisher after Barking Rain Press closed. The author’s current book list still includes the title but gives no new publisher.
Reading notes
These observations come from desk research of the author’s and publisher’s descriptions. They are not a reading report.
The book follows a familiar pattern in young adult fiction: a classic from the school curriculum, moved into a contemporary high school. In Hawthorne’s novel, Hester Prynne is publicly shamed for adultery. In this version, Heather is punished for telling the truth about cheating in school sports. Placing the story at a school known for football raises questions about loyalty to the community, whistleblowing and how a group treats someone who threatens its status. The journalism angle, a student blog post that leads to a formal investigation, gives the plot a modern way for news to spread and stir up anger.
The book was marketed to schools with class sets and a study guide, so it suits classrooms where students read The Scarlet Letter alongside a modern companion novel. Muller has described herself on her blog as a high school teacher.
Finding the book today
Barking Rain Press no longer sells books. The author’s book page at valmuller.com is the best place to start, although some of its links, including those to the old Barking Rain Press store, may be out of date. Libraries can locate copies through WorldCat or their own catalogs by searching for the title, the author or either of the ISBNs above. Used copies of the 2014 edition may also turn up on secondhand marketplaces.
Finding the book today
Start with the author's book page at valmuller.com. Public library catalogs and WorldCat can be searched by title or by ISBN 9781935460978 or 9781935460985. Barking Rain Press no longer sells books.
Discussion questions
- Heather's blog post costs her school a state title but wins her a journalism prize. How does the story frame the gap between public recognition and private consequences?
- Hawthorne's Hester Prynne is marked with an 'A'; Heather has a 'T' carved into her face. What does changing the letter, and how it is given, suggest about the modern setting?
- Why might a school community side with the athletes rather than the student who exposed wrongdoing?
- The school offers Heather a way out through a private academy. What would accepting it mean, and what would refusing it mean?
- How does setting the story in a contemporary high school, with blogging and journalism, change the themes of the original novel?
- The author says no knowledge of Hawthorne's book is needed. For readers who know both, which parallels seem most useful to discuss?
- What role do adults and institutions play in a premise like this, and what responsibilities do they have?
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Sources
- The Scarred Letter (author book page), Val Muller. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Cover Reveal: The Scarred Letter by Val Muller, Val Muller. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Open Library: Scarred Letter, ISBN 9781935460978, Open Library. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Open Library: Scarred Letter, ISBN 9781935460985, Open Library. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Now in Print & eBook: "The Hanged Man's Noose" (Barking Rain Press press release, 31 July 2015), PR.com. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Books (author website), Val Muller. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Flash Fiction: Grading on Effort by Val Muller, Val Muller. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Writer Wednesday: The Girl Who Flew Away, Val Muller. Accessed 2026-11-12.