Hunger

By Donna Jo Napoli

A young girl faces ruin and secret friendship during the Irish potato famine. Can she save her family?

3.9/5 Goodreads · 439 ratings

272 pages· 56,910 words· Est. 6.5 hour read

$19.99Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

In 1846 Ireland, twelve-year-old Lorraine faces a dire harvest as the potato crop fails, threatening her family's survival. Amidst this crisis, she forms a secret friendship with Miss Susannah, the landowner's daughter. As two worlds collide in a hidden meadow, Lorraine must navigate cultural divides and find a way to help her family endure the famine's harsh grip. Will her courage and resolve be enough to overcome the odds and secure a future for those she loves?

From the publisher

It is the autumn of 1846 in Ireland. Lorraine and her brother are waiting for the time to pick the potato crop on their family farm leased from an English landowner. But this year is different—the spuds are mushy and ruined. What will Lorraine and her family do?

Then Lorraine meets Miss Susannah, the daughter of the wealthy English landowner who owns Lorraine’s family’s farm, and the girls form an unlikely friendship that they must keep a secret from everyone. Two different cultures come together in a deserted Irish meadow. And Lorraine has one question: how can she help her family survive?

A little known part of history, the Irish potato famine altered history forever and caused a great immigration in the later part of the 1800s. Lorraine’s story is a heartbreaking and ultimately redemptive story of one girl’s strength and resolve to save herself and her family against all odds.

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