The Irish Potato Famine In Fact and Fiction

Allan The Irish Famine

J 941.5081 Allan

Examines the political and economical impact

of this disaster.

Bartoletti Black Potatoes

J 941.5081 Bartolet

A mysterious blight attacked Irish potato crops

turning the potatoes black. This is the story of

families who suffered from starvation, disease, and

loss of family and friends and the heroic people who

held on to hope.

Gallagher The Irish Potato Famine

J 941.5081 Gallaghe

This disaster and the reforms and improvements

that came out of it are portrayed.

Heneghan The Grave

J Fic Heneghan

Thirteen-year-old Tom, an unhappy foster

child in Liverpool, falls into a massive open

grave and is transported to Ireland in 1847,

where he finds himself in the midst of the deadly

potato famine.

Nardo The Irish Potato Famine

J 363.809415 Nardo

Examines the historical, economic, scientific,

and human factors involved in the great famine

in Ireland in the nineteenth century.

More Leprechaun Stories To Enjoy

Balian Leprechauns Never Lie
E Balian
Gram is ailing and Ninny Nanny, too lazy to care for their
simple needs, says she'll catch a leprechaun to discover his
hidden gold. Gram thinks it won't work--but does it?










Bateman Fiona’s Luck
E Bateman
A clever woman named Fiona must pass the leprechaun
king's tests when she tries to get back all the luck he has
locked away from humans.



















Chase The Wicked, Wicked
Ladies In The Haunted
House
J Fic Chase
Nine-year-old Maureen is the terror of her neighborhood
until the day she begins to explore an old deserted estate
and encounters a leprechaun and seven strange ladies.

Dadey Leprechauns Don’t
Play Fetch
J Fic Dadey
After some strange behavior has been observed at
the pet store, the Bailey School kids are set to find out
if the owner, Mr. McDawgle, is actually a leprechaun,
or just a man who wears green.

Turner Instead Of Three Wishes
J Fic Turner
A collection of seven stories featuring leprechauns, ghosts,
time travel, and other extraordinary creatures and
experiences.

Leprechauns In Children's Books

Bateman Leprechaun Gold
E Bateman
When Donald O'Dell saves the life of a leprechaun
but refuses his offer of gold, he finds his good deed
rewarded in an unexpected fashion.

Bateman Traveling Tom And
The Leprechaun
E Bateman
A wandering minstrel outwits a leprechaun
to win the heart of a princess, who will only
marry a man of daring, intelligence, and humor.
















DePaola Jamie O’Rourke And
The Big Potato
E Depaola
The laziest man in all of Ireland catches a leprechaun,
who offers a potato seed instead of a pot of gold for
his freedom.












Edwards The Leprechaun’s Gold
E Edwards
A leprechaun intervenes when a greedy young
harpist sabotages a royal contest.

















Mortensen Leprechauns
J 398.2094 Mortense
Introduces leprechauns, exploring the history
behind the Irish fairy and describing supposed
encounters between them and people.

Still More Juvenile Edgars

Bunting Coffin On A Case
J Fic Bunting
Twelve-year-old Henry Coffin, the son of a private
investigator, helps a gorgeous high school girl in her
dangerous attempt to find her kidnapped mother.














Byars Wanted....Mud Blossom
J Fic Byars
Convinced that Mud is responsible for the
disappearance of the school hamster that he was
taking care of for the weekend, Junior Blossom is
determined that the dog should be tried for his "crime."

Naylor Night Cry
J Fic Naylor
Often left alone on their five-acre Mississippi
farm by her traveling-salesman father, Ellen
learns, through a terrifying experience, to
distinguish between real and false fears.

Roberts Megan's Island
J Fic Roberts
First eleven-year-old Megan is astonished
when her mother insists on taking her and
her younger brother up to the lake cottage a
week before school is out; then they find
mysterious strangers following them.









Shreve Lucy Forever And Miss Rosetree, Shrinks
J Fic Shreve
Two sixth graders with a pretend psychiatry
practice come upon a small mute child from an
orphanage and determine they are going to use
all their knowledge to help her to talk.

Juvenile Edgar Winners---Part 2

Here are some more award winning juvenile mysteries to read:


Conrad Stonewords: A Ghost Story
J Fic Conrad
Zoe discovers that her house is occupied by the ghost
of an eleven-year-old girl, who carries her back to
the day of her death in 1870 to try to alter that
tragic event.









Jones The Night Flyers
J Mys Jones
In 1918, caring for her family's homing pigeons
while her father is away fighting in World War I,
twelve-year-old Pam comes to suspect that a
mysterious stranger in her small North Carolina
town is a German spy.









Roberts The Absolutely True Story...How I
Visited Yellowstone Park With The
Terrible Rupes: No Names Have Been
Changed To Protect The Guilty
J Fic Roberts
What they thought would be a dream vacation turns into
a nightmare for twelve-year-old Lewis and his twin sister
Alison, when they accompany their irresponsible new
neighbors on a trip to Yellowstone Park and are chased
by two mysterious men.













Van Draanen Sammy Keyes And The Hotel Thief
J Mys Vandraan
Thirteen-year-old Sammy's penchant for speaking her
mind gets her in trouble when she involves herself in
the investigation of a robbery at the "seedy" hotel
across the street from the seniors' building where she
is living with her grandmother.

A Look At The Edgars...Part 1

Since 1961, the "Best Juvenile Novel" category
has been included in the Edgar Awards,
presented for Best Mystery....

Here are some winners to read.....

Balliett Chasing Vermeer

J Mys Balliett
When seemingly unrelated and strange events

start to happen and a precious Vermeer

painting disappears, eleven-year-olds Petra

and Calder combine their talents to solve an

international art scandal.

Clements Room One

J Fic Clements
Ted Hammond, the only sixth grader

in his small Nebraska town's one-room

schoolhouse, searches for clues to the

disappearance of a homeless family.

Dowell Dovey Coe

J Fic Dowell
When accused of murder in her North Carolina

mountain town in 1928, Dovey Coe,

a stronged-willed twelve-year-old girl, comes to

a new understanding of others, including her deaf brother.

Ericson Harriet Spies Again

J Fic Ericson
Harriet is determined to find out

what happened to her nanny, Ole Golly.

Naylor Bernie Magruder & The Bats
In The Belfry

J Fic Naylor
Many residents of Middleburg, Indiana, are already

going crazy from the ever-ringing church bells and now,

after a bat is spotted in the hotel run by Bernie's family,

they worry that the dangerous Indiana Aztec bat has

finally arrived.

First Crushes.....In Children's Books

Gutman Mrs. Cooney Is Loony!
J Fic Gutman
Mrs. Cooney, the school nurse, is so beautiful that A.J.
has a crush on her--even though he suspects she might
be an international spy!












Kerrin Martin Bridge: Ready For Takeoff!
J Fic Kerrin
In three short stories, Martin develops a crush on his new bus
driver, takes care of his friend's hamster with tragic results,
and participates in a rocket exhibition that threatens a
friendship.















Kline Horrible Harry’s Secret
J Fic Kline
When Harry sees Song Lee for the first time, he falls
instantly in love with her and drives his best friend,
Doug, crazy with all his love notes in class, secret
glances, and foil-wrapped gifts.













London Froggy’s First Kiss
E London
As Valentine's Day approaches, Froggy thinks that
he is falling in love with the new girl in class, but his
feelings change when she gives him their first kiss.












Park Junie B. Jones and the Mushy J Fic Park
Gushy Valentine
When Junie B. Jones receives a mushy gushy
"valentime" on Valentine's Day, she tries to
find out who in her kindergarten class is her
secret admirer.

Roses Are Red.....Violets Are Blue

Here are some cool picture books to read
on Valentine's Day...









E Brown
Arthur’s Valentine
Arthur's wrong guess about the
identity of the secret admirer sending
him valentine messages leads to teasing
by the other children, but clues in
additional messages allow him to get his due.

E DeGroat
Roses Are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink
On Valentine's Day, Gilbert brings a tin of homemade
cookies and his original nice or nasty poems to school.




E Engelbreit
Queen of Hearts
Ann Estelle is so busy creating the most beautiful
Valentine mailbox in class, she forgets to make cards
for her classmates.




E Friedman
Love, Ruby Valentine
After Ruby Valentine misses her favorite holiday
of the year, her parrot, Lovebird, convinces her
that every day is the perfect day to say "I love you."




E Wallace
The Valentine Express
Minna and Pip make Valentine's Day
gifts for their neighbors after learning
about the history of the holiday at school.

Creatures That Glow

Batten The Winking, Blinking Sea: All About
Bioluminescence
J 572.4358 Batten
Explains bioluminescence in ocean life, giving
examples of sea creatures that glow, such as
ostracods, Bermuda fire worms, and flashlight fish.
Grade 3-5














Collard In The Deep Sea
J 572.4358 Collard
Focuses on Edith Widder’s experiments
with bioluminescence. Age 9-12





Silverstein Nature’s Living Lights
J 572.4378 Silverst
Describes bioluminescent insects, plants, and sea
animals and the uses these creatures make of
their self-generated lights, such as communication,
finding food, and attracting mates. Age 9-12

















Sitarski Cold Light: Creatures, Discoveries
And Inventions That Glow
J 535.35 Sitarski
This book shows the science behind objects and creatures
that make light without making heat. Cold lights were
discovered in 1602 when a shoemaker in Bologna, Italy
thought he found a philosopher’s stone that could make gold.
Instead, he found a stone that absorbed sunlight and gave
back light in the dark (fluorescence). Read this book to find
out the secrets behind fire beetles and glowing mushrooms.
Age 9-12

Too Cool In History

Arnold Stone Age Farmers Beside The Sea
J 936.1132 Arnold
Describes the Stone Age settlement preserved in
the sand dunes on one of Scotland's Orkney Islands,

telling how it was discovered and what it reveals

about life in prehistoric times. Approximately grades 5-8
Interesting section is on the Neolithic burial places in the
Orkneys. From the Tomb of the Eagles, scientists can
determine that these early people often suffered from
arthritis; the women had depressed foreheads that
suggests that they carried loads or babies on their
backs and used a head band for support. The average

age of death was between age 15 and 30.

Very interesting!













Deary The Wicked History Of The World
J 909 Deary
This is a gross and gruesome look at history through
World War II. At the end of the book is a pull out of
vicious villains…including the lesser known Ubba the
Viking and Basil Bulgaroctonus. There is a good
section of “Rotten Rulers” which features “cut throat”
rulers without an ounce of human compassion.
And….find how how toilets made Rome great.
Gruesome, gross fun facts!




Dunrea Skara Brae:
The Story Of A Prehistoric Village
J 936.1132 Dunrea
Describes the Stone age settlement preserved
almost intact in the sand dunes of one of the
Orkney Islands, how it came to be discovered
in the mid-nineteenth century, and what it
reveals about the life and culture of this
prehistoric community. Although this book is
for age 9-12 approximately, I found this easier
and faster to read than Caroline Arnold’s book
on the same subject.















Murphy Children Of Alcatraz:
Growing Up On The Rock
J 979.461 Murphy
Before 1854 the Rock area was inhabited
by the Pit River tribe who called it
Diamond Island because they believed
a diamond was buried inside the island
which would bring harmony to the world.
Later in history Alcatraz became a prison
holding such criminals as Al Capone.
Read this book and find our who swam from the
Rock to San Francisco in 43 minutes. This is the
story of the children of lighthouse keepers, soldiers,
and prison authorities.