"If ever there was a book primed to show American children why
families from other countries are often desperate to reach our shores,
this is it." --Booklist (starred review)
"A timely reminder about conditions in our current world." --The Horn
Book
"A worthy introduction to an important slice of history." --Kirkus
Reviews
Through the eyes of twelve-year-old Lorraine this "moving personal
story" (Booklist, starred review) from the award-winning author of
Hidden and Hush gives insight and understanding into a little known
part of history--the Irish potato famine.
It is the autumn of 1846 in Ireland. Lorraine and her brother are
waiting for the time to pick the potato crop on their family farm leased
from an English landowner. But this year is different--the spuds are
mushy and ruined. What will Lorraine and her family do?
Then Lorraine meets Miss Susannah, the daughter of the wealthy English
landowner who owns Lorraine's family's farm, and the girls form an
unlikely friendship that they must keep a secret from everyone. Two
different cultures come together in a deserted Irish meadow. And
Lorraine has one question: how can she help her family survive?
A little known part of history, the Irish potato famine altered history
forever and caused a great immigration in the later part of the 1800s.
Lorraine's story is a heartbreaking and ultimately redemptive story of
one girl's strength and resolve to save herself and her family against
all odds.