From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8. The story of 14-year-old Mary Driscoll's escape from the famine in her native County Cork, Ireland, and her new life working in a textile mill in Lowell, MA, is presented in brief diary entries dated from April to November 1847. The purpose of using a diary format seems to be to allow enough white space on the page to keep readers from being daunted by the flat language and plodding plot. The author uses expressions and Irish-like syntax to give the effect of an Irish's girl's language. Unfortunately, the effort does not convey the rhythm of Irish speech. Despite the book's shortcomings, it is chock-full o' historical facts and background. Denenberg works in the natural and political causes of the Irish potato famine, the dangers and discomforts of overseas passage, and class differences in 1840s America, among other themes. An appendix includes more historical information, such as a popular song of the day and pictures of the architecture and fashions.?Rebecca O'Connell, Carnegie Library of PittsburghCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Card catalog description
In the diary account of her journey from Ireland in 1847 and of her work in a mill in Lowell, Massachusetts, fourteen-year-old Mary reveals a great longing for her family.

ANNOTATION

In the diary account of her journey from Ireland in 1847 and of her work in a mill in Lowell, Massachusetts, fourteen-year-old Mary reveals a great longing for her family.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In the diary account of her journey from Ireland in 1847 and of her work in a mill in Lowell, Massachusetts, fourteen-year-old Mary reveals a great longing for her family.

FROM THE CRITICS

Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot

Set in Lowell, Massachusetts, 1847, this story is another in the "Dear America" historical fiction series. Young Mary leaves her parents and home in Ireland where the potato blight has created hardship and famine. She is a lucky one, because her aunt is already in American and has sent money for her passage. After an arduous journey Mary joins Aunt Nora in America and begins work in the mills. Conditions there are also terrible. It is not a happy story, but one that reflects the prejudice and hardships faced by the Irish immigrants and all who labored in the mills.

Children's Literature - Deborah Zink Roffino

A remarkable way for youngsters to connect with history, this book is from the new "Dear America" series that touches all details of life in the last few centuries in America. This story of an appealing young Irish immigrant presents an intimate examination of child labor. Written in an easy-to-follow journal format, it comes with a red ribbon bookmark, sewn to the binding.

School Library Journal