Ceasaidh

Kezzie #1

by Theresa Breslin, Graham Mairead (Translator)

During the 1930s depression in Scotland, Kezzie and her young sister Lucy are orphaned following their father's death in a pit accident. Left to live with their grandfather, they manage to survive on the little work he and Kezzie can find. But life turns sour when Lucy goes missing and is taken up by an adoption agency who send her to Canada. Without hesitation Kezzie sets off to find her little sister, and after a frantic countrywide search discovers Lucy working for an uncaring couple. Having been badly treated, she is weak and seriously ill. Kezzie bravely snatches her young charge back and with the help of a local doctor and his wife nurses her to a full recovery, before making the decision to settle for life in Canada or Scotland.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Historical Fiction

169 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1993

About the author

Theresa Breslin is a Scottish author of over 50 books, known for her contributions to children's and young adult literature. She won the Carnegie Medal in 1994 for Whispers in the Graveyard, which tells the story of a dyslexic boy overcoming personal struggles. Born and raised in Kirkintilloch, Scotland, she started writing as a teenager and later worked as a librarian before becoming a full-time author.

Her works often explore historical and social themes, as seen in Divided City (2005), which addresses sectarianism in Glasgow, and The Medici Seal (2006), a historical novel featuring Leonardo da Vinci. Her book Prisoner of the Inquisition (2010) was shortlisted for another Carnegie Medal.
Breslin has received numerous accolades, including the Scottish Book Trust's Outstanding Achievement Award and an Honorary Fellowship from the Association for Scottish Literary Studies. In 2019, she was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to literature.

Reviews

[Fern A · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite childhood books. My copy is now slowly falling apart- I may have slightly read it to death.

[Astrid · Rating 2 out of 5]

In all honestly, when I first started this book I didn't like it very much. I couldn't seem to get into it. However, I persevered and I'm glad I did. For all I couldn't seem to get into the writing style and found it overly descriptive, I found the story both tear-jerking and heartwarming once the plot thickened. I don't think I'd read this again, but I am glad that I read it once.

[wpril · Rating 4 out of 5]

an inspirational book about a brave girl. kind of short and unrealistic events but still was an exciting and decent book.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thrilling adventure set in a little-known period of history. It amazes me the level of poverty that was widespread in Britain within living memory. This book delves into the astonishing practice of shipping orphans -- or supposed orphans -- without contacting relatives, off to Canada and Australia, which continued into the middle of the last century.

The only drawback as bedtime reading was that the story was so exciting (and disturbing) that we couldn't really stop once we were half way through.

[Splash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh this book is really really good it's one of those books that when you start you can't stop and i learnt alot about WW1 and WW2 its really like you were there at the time

[Rachel Brand · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book as a child and read it over and over again.

[CLM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking!