In Greener Grass (2009), Pignat introduced readers to the plight of 15-year-old Kit as she suffered the horrifying consequences of the 1847 Irish famine. This sequel takes up days after the previous work ended and, like its predecessor, is narrated by its protagonist. Kit, pursued as a criminal, has safely made it on board an immigrant “coffin” ship bound for Canada, disguised as a boy and accompanied by Mick, her best friend. Along the way, with historically gritty authenticity, she encounters a lethal fever, near-starvation conditions and terrifying storms, while she desperately worries about her family, who sailed away before her. When she finally reaches Canada, there is more disease and separation as Kit struggles to find her way in a strange, often bleak new world. Although this title can stand alone, reading the first book will certainly enhance understanding of this harrowing, realistic look at the immigrant Irish experience. Actual relief workers of the era play important roles, and an author’s note offers more information about them and some of the places Kit visits on her journey. (Historical fiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-88995-432-8
Page Count: 280
Publisher: Red Deer Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An outstanding new edition of this popular modern classic (Newbery Award, 1961), with an introduction by Zena Sutherland and...
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1990
ISBN: 0-395-53680-4
Page Count: -
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A beautiful tale of perseverance.
A young girl tackles a learning disability and the uncertainty of daily life in early-20th-century Cuba.
Ten years old at the tale’s opening, Josefa “Fefa” de la Caridad Uría Peña lives with her parents and 10 siblings on their farm, Goatzacoalco. Diagnosed with “word blindness” (a misnomer for dyslexia), Fefa struggles at school and in a home rich with words, including the writings of Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío. Discounting a doctor’s opinion that “Fefa will never be able / to read, or write, / or be happy / in school,” her mother gives her a blank diary: “Let the words sprout / like seedlings, / then relax and watch / as your wild diary / grows.” Basing her tale on the life of her maternal grandmother, Engle captures the frustrations, setbacks and triumphs of Fefa’s language development in this often lyrical free-verse novel. Her reading difficulties are heightened when bandits begin roving the countryside, kidnapping local children for ransom: “All I can think of / is learning how / to read / terrifying / ransom notes.” The author gives readers a portrait of a tumultuous period in Cuban history and skillfully integrates island flora, fauna and mythology into Fefa’s first-person tale. This canvas heightens Fefa’s determination to rise above the expectations of her siblings, peers and society.
A beautiful tale of perseverance. (author’s note) (Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: March 20, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-547-58131-6
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: Jan. 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2012
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