A Slip of a Girl

Giff loosely based the tenacious heroine of this profoundly moving novel on her great-grandmother, who was raised in the town in Ireland where the Drumlish Land War of 1881 took place. In taut free verse, the author writes in the voice of fiercely patriotic Anna Mallon, whose family is torn apart as tension mounts between English landlords and Irish tenants, who are forcibly evicted after failing to pay unfairly escalating rents. After three of Anna's siblings depart in search of a better life in Brooklyn, her frail mother dies hours after beseeching Anna to read and to keep her baby sister Nuala safe. The girl honors both requests; she learns to read from the local schoolmaster and escapes, with Nuala in her arms, after English bailiffs arrest her for insubordination. Anna's simultaneous desperation and determination are palpable as she carries Nuala for days, barefoot, cold, and near starvation, to reach the safe home of an elderly aunt. Archival photos illuminate the loss and injustice inflicted on the Irish, and Giff (Lily's Crossing) brings Anna's story to a triumphant close. Ages 10-14. (Aug.)

Gr 5&8-In 1880's County Cork, Ireland, families are struggling to pay rent to new English landowners and are being evicted from homes that their families built generations ago. Anna, the middle sibling in a large family, must uphold her promise to her mother to protect their home and land. However, when the bailiff comes knocking and there's not enough money to pay rent, Anna runs. Giff draws on personal family history to tell Anna's painful and courageous story. Written in verse, this is a great introduction to Irish history and the genre of historical fiction. Primary source photographs and a glossary lend to the novel's authenticity. VERDICT This is a great selection for young fans of historical fiction who may not be ready for something weightier. A general purchase for public and school libraries that see a desire for historical fiction or address this period of history in class.-Maryjean Bakaletz, Hunterdon County Library, Flemington, NJ