Nory Ryan's Song Author:Patricia Reilly Giff Life is hard for poor Irish potato farmers, but 12-year-old Nory Ryan and her family have always scraped by ... until one morning, Nory wakes to the foul, rotting smell of diseased potatoes dying in the fields. And just like that, all their hopes for the harvest -- for this year and next -- are dashed. Hunger sets in quickly. The beaches are str... more »ipped of edible seaweed, the shore is emptied of fish, desperate souls even chew on grass for the nourishment. As her community falls apart, Nory scrambles to find food for her family. Meanwhile, the specter of America lurks, where, the word is, no one is ever hungry, and horses carry milk in huge cans down cobblestone streets.
As Patricia Reilly Giff writes in her note to the reader, the Great Hunger of 1845 to 1852 was a tragic time for the Irish. Enough food to feed double the population was sent out across the sea, while an indifferent government ignored the starving masses. More than one million of the eight million people in Ireland died. Nory Ryan's Song, a fictionalized account based on this terrible era in history, describes the heroic struggles of one girl who refuses to give in to hunger, exhaustion, and hopeless circumstances. Young readers may have heard of the Irish Potato Famine, but they won't truly understand it until they meet Nory. Giff is the author of many beloved books for children, including the Newbery Honor Book Lily's Crossing and the Polk Street School series.« less
Quite a moving, mature children's book concerning the potato famine in Ireland. Tells the story through the eyes a young, responsible girl of about twelve.
Sometimes books written for the younger reader present events in a clearer way than those written for adults. Such was the case with this one. This reader could not help sympathizing with Nory and her family as they experienced the potato famine in Ireland as well as suppression by the English.
There are many themes in this book. Stay positive. Believe in yourself. Recognize people for what they are rather than what they seem to be or what others say about them. This is the case with Anna, a kind elderly woman who lives alone since the death of her husband and son. Her knowledge of herb lore is extensive and she helps all who need her services. Nory, however, has learned to negotiate for Anna as the landowner soon forgets her services in his attempt to remove her from her home.
Good historical novel for the young. I liked it very much.