"CLA Children's Book of the Year Award shortlist, 2009

Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People 2009 finalist

Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Awards shortlist, 2010

Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice, 2009AStarred Choice"

Kit Byrne's family is a strong one, but their strength and unity are being severely tested, as life becomes more and more desperate in 19th century rural Ireland. Lord Fraser is the wealthy landowner, from which the Byrne's and many other families rent their lands. When the potato blight hits, the farmers can no longer make their payments much less produce food for themselves, and the cruel system has no mercy as Lord Fraser wields an iron fist, driving families from their homes and burning their cottages.

Kit's dreams are now dashed as her family experiences a series of tragedies, and as she undergoes a daunting event that tears her away from her family. With her father dead, she must fight for survival and help her ailing mother and siblings escape Ireland for good.

This story is a glimpse into the tragic events of the Great Hunger, the famine that devastated Ireland, forcing thousands of impoverished families to seek better livelihoods outside of their homeland.

It is 1847. Kit is fourteen years old. Her father is off to England, an annual trip after the potato planting to look for work. He will be back when the potatoes are high. In the meantime, Kit, her younger brother and sister, and her pregnant mother will stay in their Irish cottage, tending the field and making ends meet. This year is not ordinary, however. The potatoes turn black in the fields, her father comes home without having found work, and as the year turns, Kit and her family tumble more deeply into poverty and sorrow. This well-researched book brings to life the Irish famine of mid-nineteenth century. Readers observe an honest, hard-working girl turn into a young woman who will steal and maybe even kill to protect her home and family. In the end, Kit will leave Ireland like so many did during the famine. There are many historical fiction tales of immigrants going to North America. This novel is the story of how a girl became an immigrant. A bit slow going at first, Kit's tale will soon draw in persistent readers. They may wonder how so much bad luck could befall one person. A concise afterward not only separates the fact from fiction but also shows that the ill luck befell many in Ireland during that time. Historical fiction fans will enjoy this book, and teachers and librarians may find its ethical dilemmas highly teachable literature. Reviewer: Beth Karpas

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