by Gerard Whelan (Author)
Six stories - one set in Dublin, the others in the countryside - about children who get caught up in the War of Independence and suffer dire consequences. Mattie Foley dreams of escaping the harshness of life in the Dublin slums, but her dreams and reality become dangerously entwined with the discovery of a gun. When Statia Mulligan sets off to get feed for the hens, she longs for the peace and quiet of her favourite spot by the stream; she doesn't expect to become part of an ambush. Larry Quinn goes after the cow that has strayed - how could he know that in his absence the Black and Tans would force his mother to reveal all she knows?
Format: Paperback
Pages: 192
Publisher: O'Brien Press
Published: 15 Sep 2002
ISBN 10: 0862787769
ISBN 13: 9780862787769
Children’s book age: 9-11 Years
Prizes: Winner of Reading Association of Ireland Children's Book Award 2003 and Bisto Merit Award 2003. Shortlisted for Bisto Book of the Year Award 2003.
'Very powerful short stories for young adults'
-- The Pat Kenny Show'Excellent collection ... They will impel their readers towards new questioning as to what war actually is'
-- Robert Dunbar - The Irish Times * The Irish Times *'These stories ... are moving, thrilling and yet sometimes funny accounts of events just a couple of generations removed from where we are now.'
-- Mary Arrigan - The Sunday Tribune * The Sunday Tribune *'Gripping read ... his characters bring recent history to life'
-- Evening Echo * Evening Echo *'Roller-coasters of emotion ... A riveting read'
-- Inis Magazine * Inis Magazine *'Six emotionally charged stories, rural and urban, featuring feisty, likeable youngsters'
-- The Sunday Independent * The Sunday Independent *