Historical Fiction

Nory Ryan's Song

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Giff, Patricia Reilly. 2000. NORY RYAN'S SONG. Scholastic: New York. ISBN: 0439329493.

PLOT SUMMARY: Irish preteen Nory Ryan, whose family struggles to pay rent to their English landlord, finds one day that the potato crop in her home country is vanishing at the beginning of the Irish Potato Famine. She and her brother, sisters, and grandfather await her father's return, but when it becomes apparent that matters will need to be taken into her own hands, friends are made and adventures are had.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS: You cannot help but feel sorry for the sufferers of the Irish Potato Famine as you read this book. The characters that Giff created make the devastation all the more real, and the realization of how brave these people were begins to hit home. Nory is like any other preteen, quarreling with her sister and trying to help take care of her brother in the absence of her father. Her courage leads her to do many things, such as scale cliffs for food and speak to a strange woman who is thought to be a witch. In the course of reading this book, one cannot help but ask herself if she would be as brave as these characters are. The evolution of Nory from a carefree youth to a caretaker of many is gripping, and the happy ending leaves the reader satisfied, yet tearful. As she leaves a neighbor who has become family, Nory says. "I will never forget you." That's how the audience feels about Nory and this book as well.

EXCERPT REVIEWS: "Newbery Honor Winner Giff weaves wisps of history into this wrenching tale of an Irish family sundered by the Great Potato Famine... Riveting." -- Kirkus Reviews "A beautiful heart-warming novel that makes a devastating event understandable." --Booklist

CONNECTIONS: The Irish Potato Famine is a subject that is required to be taught in many grade levels. This book may be read in conjunction with the lessons on the famine or along with a unit on immigration to the United States. Other books by Patricia Reilly Griff include: All the Way Home, Lily's Crossing, Maggie's Door, and A House of Trailers.