Under the Hawthorn Tree

Children of the Famine #1

by Marita Conlon-McKenna, Donald Teskey (Illustrator)

Ireland in the 1840s was in the grip of a terrible famine. When their father and mother go missing in a desperate search for food, the three O'Driscoll children, Eily, Michael, and Peggy, are left to fend for themselves. Starving and in danger of the dreaded workhouse, they escape. Their one hope is to find the great-aunts they have heard about in their mother's stories. With tremendous courage they set out on a journey that will test every reserve of strength, love, and loyalty they possess.

Author Biography: Marita Conlon-McKenna is one of Ireland's most popular children's authors. Her other books include The Blue Horse, No Goodbye, Safe Harbour, and In Deep Dark Wood.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Ireland, Irish Literature, Childrens, Historical, Young Adult

146 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Born in Dublin in 1956 and brought up in Goatstown, Marita went to school at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Mount Anville, later working in the family business, the bank, and a travel agency. She has four children with her husband James, and they live in the Stillorgan area of Dublin.
Marita was always fascinated by the Famine period in Irish history and read everything available on the subject. When she heard a radio report of an unmarked children's grave from the Famine period being found under a hawthorn tree, she decided to write her first book, Under the Hawthorn Tree.

Published in May 1990, the book was an immediate success and become a classic. It has been translated into over a dozen languages, including Arabic, Bahasa, French, Dutch, German, Swedish, Italian, Japanese and Irish. The book has been read on RTÉ Radio and is very popular in schools, both with teachers and pupils. It has been made a supplementary curriculum reader in many schools and is also used by schools in Northern Ireland for EMU (Education through Mutual Understanding) projects. It was also filmed by Young Irish Film Makers, in association with RTÉ and Channel 4. This is available as a DVD.

Marita has written more books for children which were also very well received. The Blue Horse reached No. 1 on the Bestseller List and won the BISTO BOOK OF THE YEAR Award. No Goodbye, which tells of the heartbreak of a young family when their mother leaves home, was recommended by Book Trust in their guide for One Parent Families. Safe Harbour is the story of two English children evacuated from London during World War ll to live with their grandfather in Greystones, Co Wicklow and was shortlisted for the BISTO Book of the Year Award. A Girl Called Blue follows the life of an orphan, trying to find who she really is in a cold and strict orphanage. Marita has also explored the world of fantasy with her book In Deep Dark Wood.

Marita has won several awards, including the International Reading Association Award, the Osterreichischer Kinder und Jugendbuchpreis, the Reading Association of Ireland Award and the Bisto Book of the Year Award.

Reviews

[Trisha Harrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the books from my childhood. I was in fourth class when our teacher first read this to us. I fell in love. From there I bough all three books and read them myself. To this day I can still remember reading these books, and this book was what got me hooked. It's my favourite in the trilogy.

The book is based in the time of the great famine of Ireland. It's about three kids who fight for their lives and are determined to find their relatives. For a children's book it has a lot of tragedy. The saddest scene for me was when baby Bridget died. I don't even remember being scarred by the death, and this was the saddest book of my childhood, easily.

It takes some time at a young age to read through everything. We see sickness, death and survival shown in this book. We meet new characters, but they never stay. It's always about the three protagonists. And their individual paths in life. I adored this book and all three characters, though Eily was my favourite. She had the big sister vibe that I loved. Of course they are all kids in this.

You might not expect a HEA. The way everything works out is happy. It showed the courage the kids had. They made the long journey and survived. It wasn't a thing that you could say for sure in the beginning. It's written in a time that Ireland was full of death. It's one of those times you learn about in Ireland and this book, though not educational, is good to read during that part of your education.

Under the Hawthorn Tree is not just for kids. It's not just for Irish people. This book is for anyone who would like a story that has that hint of adventure and tragedy to it. The book is a lovely read and I believe it's why they are so popular in Ireland. Ms. McKenna did a wonderful job delivering a beautiful story.

Highly recommended read!

[Gobokairina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Membaca kisah tiga beradik ini begitu mengesankan. Entah bagaimana mereka menghadapi hari-hari yang berlaku dengan penuh ketabahan, sedangkan kanak-kanak seusia mereka ketika ini sedang enak bersenang-lenang menghadap televisyen dan internet. Ironis.

Kisah pengembaraan Elly, Michael dan Peggy adalah kisah hidup yang sebenar di zaman kebuluran di Ireland yang berlaku pada akhir 1880-an. Kebuluran yang teramat teruk hingga memusnahkan hampir keseluruhan penduduk Ireland khususnya.

Kembara tiga beradik ini bermula di saat penantian kepulangan ayah dan ibunya bagaikan sudah tiba di noktahnya. Keyakinan bahawa kedua-dua orang tuanya akan pulang beransur-ansur hilang. Apatah lagi ketika itu mereka telah disuruh untuk berpindah ke rumah perlindungan. Elly tak mahu berpisah dengan adik-adiknya. Akhirnya dia tekad untuk melarikan diri, membawa pergi Michael dan Peggy jauh daripada rumah mereka. Cuba menjejaki nenek-nenek saudara mereka yang hanya diketahui ceritanya melalui ibu mereka.

Entah di mana semangat juang mereka itu hadir. Tetapi ia bagaikan penyuluh kepada tiga beradik ini untuk terus berjuang menempuh perjalanan yang jauh dan sukar. Menyelusuri langkah-langkah mereka, aku sendiri terfikir bagaimana agaknya jika aku di tempat mereka. Seandai hidup dilanda badai, seandai hati dirundum malang, cukup kuatkah untuk menghadapi segala-galanya? Entah aku nanti bisa bangkit kembali atau tidak?

Cerita ini memang wajar [baca: wajib] dibaca oleh anak-anak muda kini supaya mereka tahu erti kesyukuran. Kita hidup di Malaysia dengan penuh rukun dan damai. Tidak menghadapi saat-saat sukar seperti tiga beradik ini. Wajarlah kita mensyukuri nikmat yang Tuhan pinjamkan kepada kita.

Tuhan ada caranya sendiri mengatur hidup kita dan tak tahulah kenapa hidup ini begitu sukar. Kita kenalah berusaha yang terbaik dengan apa yang kita ada, menyayangi satu sama lain dan meneruskan hidup ini [page 42]

Dan itulah hakikat kehidupan ini. Kita diuji dengan pilihan. Berusaha dan kemudian bertawakal. Tiada yang lebih berkuasa daripada-Nya. Yakin dan redha. Dia tak akan menghampakan hamba-hamba-Nya. Percayalah

[Kaytlin Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read, albeit a sad read. The Potato Famine was a horrible time in Irish history but McKenna does a great job presenting the facts in a way that children can understand, can grasp, and deal with. The ending is a nice and good change to the harsh realities 0f the story.
If anyone is looking for a good read on the Potato Famine or just a good historical fiction, I'd recommend this one.

[Rawan Mustafa · Rating 3 out of 5]

شعور جميل أن تعود سنوات ثمان للوراء مع دفتر قديم تكتشف أنك كنت قد دونت ملاحظات عن قصص كنت قد قرأتها ^^
تحت شجرة الزعرور ، قراته أيضَا قبل ثماني سنوات ، المراجعة بدفتري القديم ، وحسب روان الصغيرة:
" قصة تضمنت عناصر الجمال ، تحدثت عن المجاعة التي ضربت ايرلندا بفترة -1840، 1850- من خلال إيلي وبيغي ومايكل الأبطال الصغار ،وكيف أرادوا التخلص من الملجأ والوصول لخالتهم . القصة تبدأ عند تعفن موسم البطاطا؛ لتنشأ المجاعة التي أودت بحياة المليون شخص ، وتركت البقية يعانون بين الجوع والحمى "

كنت قد وصفتها بالواقعية ، تأثرت الفتاة الصغيرة بداخلي أنذاك : بالأخوة الصادقة ، والشجاعة ، والقدرة على التصرف واتخاذ القرار ، روان بذلك الوقت اعتبرتها نقلة بقرائتها بين قصص الأطفال ذات النهاية السعيدة ، والقصية الواقعية الموجهة لليافعين ، وقد أعجبت بها رغم قساوتها والمأساة . وتأثرت الصغيرة بداخلي بوفاة بريجت ، ورحيل الأم ، مرض بيغي ، منظر رؤية القتيل !!
وختمت بالمذكرة أن هؤلاء الأطفال أعوني درسا بالإنسانية !!

يبدو أنها كانت قد أعجبت روان الصغيرة و أضافت لها ^^
جميلة لليافعين ومرحلة12 سنة فما فوق أقول الآن :)

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

started this book because I was dating a teacher and his 11 year olds were reading it in class so I had him steal me a copy. It was easily the most heart-wrenching children’s book I’ve ever encountered and I cried every chapter. As an eldest child with a younger brother and sister I can absolutely assure you that I projected heavily onto Eily and if I’d read this book in 5th grade I would’ve made it my entire personality.

4/5 stars, docked one star because the teacher and I broke up before I was done reading & now I need to find a way to get this book back to St Dec’s Catholic school in county Meath

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Source: I own this book.
Cost: 50p in a charity shop

Title: Under the Hawthorne Tree
Series: Children of the Famine #1
Author: Marita Conlon-McKenna
Overall Rating: 5 stars

I remember reading this book in primary school, and it's one of those books that have stayed with me ever since, the author presents the famine to children in a way that they'll understand, through children's eyes, and growing up in Northern Ireland, the famine was something we always learned about but never understand. And thankfully, never experienced. As I've gotten older, I obviously understand it a lot more than I used too, but this book sparked an interest for me. It broke my heart and I hoped for the best for Eily, Michael and Peggy when the famine ended. I remember that I wanted to read the rest of the series, but I can't remember if I ever did...

[Josephine (Jo) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a touching story of the tragic effect of the potato famine in Ireland in 1845-1850. A family is torn apart in an attempt to survive, the people of that era lived through hell. Parents watched their babies waste away and if they did not starve then they were at risk of dying from the dreadful fever. The story of the courageous O'Driscoll children Eily, Michael and Peggy, Eily the eldest is just twelve. They face such perils as they fight to stay alive in a land where everyone seems to be dead or like walking dead.
This is an idea introduction to this period in Irish history.

[Sisters Three · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
~Kayti

[Mina jvk · Rating 4 out of 5]

اولين بارم بود ميرفتم نمايشگاه كتاب و انقدر ذوق داشتم كه يه جا بند نميشدم. پول تو جيبي هامو جمع كرده بودم تا برم درجستجوي سرزمين دلتورا بخرم ولي وقتي رفتم نشر افق ديدم پولم به هيچكدوم از كتاباي مورد علاقه م نميرسه(دارن شان،لموني اسنيكت، دلتورا،...). تو غرفه هاي ديگه ميگشتم كه يه دختر جوون اومد سراغم و بهم اين كتابو پيشنهاد داد. سه تا كتاب خريدم اون روز( درخت زالزالك،ماجراهاي كله بارني، دختر گل هاي وحشي) و هرسه به بهترين كتابهايي كه خوندم تبديل شدن. براي اولين بار با شخصيتهايي هم سن و سال خودم تو دنياي واقعي رو به رو شدم (تا قبل از اون همه يا تو دوران ديكنز و مارك تواين بودن يا تو دنياي اشباح و دلتورا و بدشانس ها) و چقد باهاشون غصه خوردم. اونجايي كه خون گاو رو ميپزن و مثل يه كيك ميخورن احتمالا تنها تصوير از قحطي و خشكساليه كه تو ذهن من ميمونه تا آخر عمر.

[Abril G. Karera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tristísimo. Literal, se me humedecían los ojos a cada rato por todo lo que le ocurre a estos pequeños. Pero también es una historia que habla de valentía, solidaridad, amor filial. Me gustó mucho. Me quedó clarísimo algo: nunca he sentido el hambre que aquí se describe y ése es ya suficiente privilegio. ¡Lo recomiendo con creces!

[Ciara · Rating 5 out of 5]

After recommending this book to Ashley, I realised I hadn't added this book as 'read,' and I've read it 3 times :P before the end of the summer I will re-read and review it, but for now here's a five star rating!

[Infosifter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three siblings find themselves alone and homeless during the Irish potato famine, so they leave their village to search for relatives they know about only through their mother's stories. The book does a very good job of showing how terrible this avoidable tragedy was, though it doesn't explain anything about why it happened or who was responsible. I think some parents might find this book a little too traumatic for the age of kids it is written for, though others would be fine with it depending on the sensitivities of their child. I would say the writing would be ideal for a 10-year-old, but the subject matter more for12 or 13, I can imagine small children having nightmares after reading this.

[Katie Landy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this in a box my dad dropped over during the week. Re-read. Cried. Re-traumatised. 5 stars.

[Overbooked ✎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

YA historical fiction, easy read. The O'Driscoll family are land tenants, when crops fails the father is forced to seek work away from home. After the death of an infant and facing starvation, the mother decides to temporarily leave the house and the three remaining children to search for him. Soon after, the family is evicted from their cabin and the children find themselves homeless and alone. They start a long and perilous journey on foot in search of some distant relatives who might help.

This is the first book of a trilogy, a bit lightweight, so best for primary/intermediate children. Good source of information about the potato blight and great famine in Ireland (1845-1850) where an estimated one million people died by sickness and mass starvation.

[Roisin Riordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book
I see things differently ever since...
Everyone should read it

[Maryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished her adult novel, The Hungry Road, so am now working my way through her children's books about Ireland.

[Pook S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me at a bookstore in Galway as the most popular and best Irish historical fiction novel. Although it’s very short and written for a younger audience, I’d say it lived up to that title. It created a true sense of what the famine was like in Ireland and, naturally, made it very easy to comprehend. The story is compelling and it leads to a fast-paced, simple book that only takes about an hour to read. There wasn’t much difficulty to it, but I enjoyed it a lot anyways.

[Dana K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m about three decades too old for this one, but there is so little famine fiction that I really wanted to give it a try. It is heartbreaking as you’d expect. I do feel like the children would perhaps have been unable to survive as well as they did based on their ages, but I still enjoyed their ingenuity, Swiss Family Robinson style. I would have liked a slightly closer glimpse at the workhouse, the British political situation and a stronger ending.

[Sally]

for school

[Beth Moulton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting yet heartbreaking history about the potato famine.
NB: JUST READ THIS BOOK WAS WRITTEN FOR CHILDREN?!

[Alison May Cotter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotional and heart warmimg. This is a must-read, especially if you're irish. It tells the story of the famine in such a beautiful way. If you already read this and enjoyed it, I recommend The Famine Girls.

[Maeve Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book “Under the Hawthorn tree” by Marita Conlon McKenna is a novel which I read as a child and it really touched me as it depicts the history of the Irish famine in the 1840's through the eyes of the three main characters, Michael, Eily and Peggy. The three children are faced with great heart ache and suffering during the devestation of the Famine. They have lost their father and also their sister Bridget.
The children must travel to Castletaggert to their great aunts who they hope will provide them with food shelter and safety. The journey to Castletaggert is not an easy one but their only other option is to be taken into the workhouse which is something they cannot face as it will mean their seperation. There is constant hardship for the children throughout the book and you can really empathise with them and try to imagine how you would feel if you were in their position. The children show courage and optimism despite their constant suffering.
I feel this book would be great for children aged 10-12 depending on their level of reading and I think they would benefit from the story because it gives a fantastic depiction, through the eyes of the children, of Ireland during the devestation of the famine and all the suffering the people went through. There is a lot of sombre themes in this book but it does end on a positive note with the children making it to their aunts house and finding solace now that they have somewhere to call home again.

[William O · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book a lot of Irish people will probably have read in school. The author Marita Conlon-McKenna excellently portrays the feelings and hardship the famine brought to the three central characters, the O Driscoll children. Not only is it a very interesting read but the detail and description of the times would also give the children a sense of history of what it was like during the famine. The O Driscoll's face many problems and set-backs and the children are likely to engage with Eily, Michael and Peggy. All three have different characteristics which will appeal to both both and girls making a good classroom read.
Eily is the oldest of three children and acts as a mother figure to the other two. She is only twelve years of age but incredibly mature and this is seen through many of her decisions throughout the book. She has continuous hope and an unwillingness to give up. Michael, the only male in the family is a brave and fearful young boy. Like Eily he shows great courage and strength as the three siblings fight against famine and the troubles it brings

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book when I was around 10 years old. I had been a really stubborn child who hated reading books because it was encouraged in my household. However upon reading this book, in a caravan in Ballycastle during Summer holidays, I became obsessed. I was drawn in by it so much I even chose Bridget as my confirmation name in P7. (RIP baby Bridget)
Fantastic book 10/10

[موده · Rating 4 out of 5]

اسم الكاتب /ة : ماريتا كونلون - مكينا
عدد الصفحات : 152
نوع الكتاب : رواية اجتماعية
ملخص : تدور الفكرة التي تريد إيصالها الكاتبة حول موضوع المجاعة وما يتم بعدها من نتائج تشريد و غيرها ... ثلاث أطفال إخوة يتعرضون للمجاعة ويضطرون للرحيل حتى يجدوا المصاعب تقف أمامهم ولكنهم يعاندوها .

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite book in the world

[Fariza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Menceritakan zaman kesusahan Ireland yang sangat tragis. Kecekalan 3 beradik ini wajar menjadi teladan kepada anak-anak muda di Malaysia.

[Iman Sabra · Rating 3 out of 5]

رواية جميلة ، حيث تختبئ الطفولة لتظهر ملامح الرجولة في هؤلاء الصغار ، تعلمنا أنه لا مكان لليأس في حياتنا وان للأمل مفتاح يملكه الجميع فقط ما علينا إلا أن نتمسك به :]

[Sean Doheny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it was a really good book because I thought it was very interesting and it was very moving.
I'm really looking forward to the next book.

[PC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book ever written by an Irishman....very very emotional and for those who don’t like books that much——There’s a movie!