Wildflower Girl - Softcover

Conlon-McKenna, Marita

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140362924 ISBN 13: 9780140362923

Publisher: Puffin Books, 1994

Synopsis

In the mid-nineteenth century, thirteen-year-old Peggy O'Driscoll sets out alone from Ireland for America, hoping to make a better life for herself.

About this title

About the Author:

Marita Conlon-McKenna is one of Ireland's most popular children's authors. She has written nine bestselling children's books. Under the Hawthorn Tree, her first novel, became an immediate bestseller and has been described as "the biggest success story in children's historical fiction." Marita lives in Dublin with her husband and four children.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 5-8-- Historic validity and a dramatic writing style work together here to create an engrossing and realistic tale. This sequel to Under the Hawthorn Tree (Holiday, 1990) focuses on 13-year-old Peggy O'Driscoll as she makes her way to America from Ireland after the Great Famine that left her an orphan. Just as the earlier book depicts the hardships of the time, this one offers an honest picture of the problems of immigration. And while it gives readers solid historical background, it also serves up a well-written story with characters who, although somewhat stereotypical, are believable. Passage to America is being offered, and Peggy takes advantage of it. She arrives in Boston with no place to go, but soon finds her way to a home for young girls. She ultimately goes into service to a wealthy family, and it is here that her life in America begins to take shape. Readers will feel the enormity of her decision and the pain of leaving loved ones behind. All the complications of embarking on the journey become clear. The dismal conditions in steerage and the relentless seasickness can almost be felt through Colon-McKenna's sharp prose. High-quality historical fiction.
- Renee Steinberg, Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0140362924
• ISBN 13: 9780140362923
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 176