The Famine Secret (Harrison, Cora. Drumshee Timeline Series, Bk. 5.) [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Cora Harrison (Author), Orla Roche (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Series: Harrison, Cora. Drumshee Timeline Series, Bk. 5.

It's 1847 and the Great Famine is destroying Ireland. The Drumshee twins, Fiona and Deirdre, and their brothers, Martin and Daniel, are in trouble. The black fever has killed their parents and they have no money left to buy food. They've no choice but to enter the dreaded workhouse. In the workhouse they face a fight for survival. Will they be able to overcome hunger, fever and the Matron's greed? Will Fiona and Deirdre come up with an escape plan? And if they ever get back to Drumshee will they be in time to keep the secret safe because once again, Drumshee is hiding something ...

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 5-7-A series linked by its setting-Drumshee, an Irish fort dating back to the Iron Age. In 1847, the four McMahon children are orphaned by the "black fever" afflicting the population at the onset of the potato blight, and the twin girls and their brothers are forced by the local powers-that-be to enter a workhouse. At first it seems that Fiona's dreams of becoming a writer and teacher are over, and that Deirdre's lacemaking talents will be wasted, but determination prevails, and soon the four are plotting to reclaim their home. The orphaned heroine of The Secret of Drumshee Castle has no siblings to comfort her. Grace Barry, a member of the aristocracy during Elizabethan times, is heiress to the castle and 4000 acres. At the age of seven, she finds herself suddenly under the custody of an aunt and uncle who see her as an obstacle to seizing the Drumshee property. As years pass, Grace becomes a well-educated, accomplished, but lonely teenager. When her guardians turn murderous, she flees to Queen Elizabeth's court, where surprising consequences result. The framework of this series is reminiscent of Lucy Boston's classic "Green Knowe" stories (Harcourt), but these books are not derivative. Where Boston's prose is poetic and evocative, Harrison uses simple language that is as spare and straightforward as that of traditional folktales, and the narratives are reinforced by Roche's illustrations in a naive style. Good choices for students interested in European history.-Starr E. Smith, Marymount University Library, Arlington, VA

Copyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 123 pages
• Publisher: Irish Amer Book Co; illustrated edition edition (December 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0863276490
• ISBN-13: 978-0863276491
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,981,118 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book, September 4, 2000

By 

Amy (Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Famine Secret (Harrison, Cora. Drumshee Timeline Series, Bk. 5.) (Paperback)

This book was a tale of 4 Children during the great famine of ireland. Their mother comes down with black fever and dies and their father runs a way because he cought the fever off their mother. They have to cope through and when they are taken into an orphanage doubts fall and they dont think that they can make it through. I wont tell you the rest of it because i want you to read it as an exciting and touching story like i did!!