The Grave [Mass Market Paperback]

James Heneghan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 11, 2002

Thirteen-year-old Tom, an unhappy foster child in Liverpool, falls into a massive open grave and is transported to Ireland in 1847 in the middle of the deadly potato famine.

Thirteen-year-old Tom Mullen has always been alone, moving about from one disastrous foster home situation to another. He has never known the true meaning of family love. When he hears that a mass grave has been unearthed on his school grounds, he feels drawn to the grave, pulled toward it, but can’t explain why.

I sucked in a deep breath to try and calm my bursting chest. The smell from the open grave wasn’t bad the way you’d expect from so many dead people. . . . But it wasn’t the smell that got to me, it was the feeling that something in the black pit was calling and reaching out to me, pulling me, that same urge again, the one I’d been getting for the past couple of days, but stronger now and more powerful. It terrified me, if you really want to know the truth.

The truth is Tom’s life is about to change forever.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

PW called this novel about a 13-year-old mistreated foster child who investigates an abandoned construction site, falls into a hole lined with decaying coffins and is magically transported to 1847 Ireland, an eerie time travel tale. Ages 12-up. (June)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10-Tom Mullen, nearly 14, has spent his life shuttling from one "fozzy" (foster home) to another after being abandoned as a baby. At his latest school, a construction project arouses his curiosity and he and his fellow foster kid, a developmentally slow boy named Brian, investigate the site. Skirting the security guard, Tom falls into a mass grave and out of 1974 Liverpool. He hits the ground in Ireland in 1847 just in time to perform CPR on a drowned, slightly older boy who could otherwise be his double. Tom stays with the Monaghans-Tully, Hannah, Brendan, and their parents-learning to care for them, especially Hannah, until accidentally transporting himself back to 1974. He manages to slip back to the past a few more times, experiences the forced migration caused by the potato famine, and comes to realize that the Monaghans are his ancestors and Tully is his great-grandfather. Heneghan's story-written in a very British vernacular-will appeal to time-travel fans who like their fantasy with an edge. Tom, while not always a likable character, tells a gripping story. The sections in 1974 have a gritty, almost impersonal feel to them, mirroring the atmosphere of foster-home life. In contrast, the parts with the Monaghans are warmer and more homelike. The ending, in which Tom finds his real parents, seems a little too pat, but makes for a satisfying conclusion. Recommend this to readers who enjoyed Nancy Bond's Another Shore (McElderry, 1988; o.p.) or to fans of historically detailed time-travel stories.
Lisa Prolman, Greenfield Public Library, MA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf (June 11, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440229480
• ISBN-13: 978-0440229483
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,002,768 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For Time Travel and Historical Fiction Fans!, December 8, 2000

By 

Kendra Patterson "kendralou" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Grave (Hardcover)

Tom Mullen is a foster child in 1974 Liverpool, England. He becomes curious about the rumors of a mass grave found near his school. While exploring the grave, he falls into the open pit and is transported to Ireland during the Irish Potato famine. He befriends the Monaghan family after saving Tully's (the oldest son) life. The descriptions of the Monaghan family and the others suffering in the potato famine are vivid. Readers will become engrossed in this part of the story. One feels empathy for the family and the horrors they must face daily. Tom travels back and forth in time regularly and readers may find this confusing. Only at the end of the story will this constant travel make sense. Also, the book is full of British slang. Those that are unfamiliar with British slang may find some of the slang confusing. I would recommend this book to those that enjoy time travel and/or historical fiction.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Decent historical novel, February 27, 2002

By 

"mfshermantank" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Grave (Hardcover)

The teen book club at the neighborhood branch of our city library system chose The Grave for the February book -- but I was the only one who showed up for the discussion!

What was the book about? Well, the construction of a new school is no secret, but something the builders find is. Tom and Brian decide to check it out. What they learn is extraordinary: the excavation site is a grave with hundreds of coffins! When a guard discovers the youths and comes running, they begin to flee the gruesome site, but Tom stumbles into the grave. The next thing he knows, he's flying through time back to 1847, back to the Irish Potato Famine.

Well written, suspenseful historical novel that teaches as it entertains.

~ JFS

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Journey Through Ravaged Ireland, June 10, 2006

By 

P. Escalambre "Patty Cakes Escalambre" (springfield, Va USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Grave (Hardcover)

The Grave by James Heneghan portrays a young foster child, Tom Mullen, who does not know his origins and his family. He starts out in an abandoned department store and throughout his life, he searches for his own identity. He travels back in time to 1847 Ireland where he learns about his origins and his identity. With this interesting plot, this book was both entertaining as was as literary. The Grave had a good blend of fiction and non-fiction to create beautifully written historical fiction. The book was a fast-paced book; the adventure starts from page one and the author wastes no time fluffing up the introduction. The events and characters seem real because of Heneghan's vivid characterization and description. Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who loves reading historical fiction as well as someone who loves to read suspense novels.