The Climbing Boys
When his da gets injured, Hugh ‘Scholar’ O’Dare has to leave school to work as a chimney sweeper.
The job is scary and dangerous, but it brings him into the home of the most famous man in Ireland,
Daniel O’Connell, who takes an interest in the young boy’s life. Then Scholar comes across another young sweeper whose circumstances are much worse than his own, and a shocking secret comes to light. Can he help this new friend escape a life of darkness?
The Kidds of Summerhill
It is spring 1945, and orphaned Nancy Kidd has a lot on her plate as head of the family. The ‘Cruelty
Men’ could send her and her siblings to the dreaded industrial schools. One of their spies lives in the same tenement building and holds a grudge against the Kidds. More trouble is the last thing Nancy needs, but that’s just what she gets when she tries to help a friend in need. Just as her life begins to unravel, she meets Karla, a Jewish refugee from Prague who might know a way out.
Praise for The Kidds of Summerhill
‘Ann Murtagh is fast becoming one of the most accomplished historical novelists for children.’
Irish Independent
The Sound of Freedom
It’s spring 1919, and Ireland’s War of Independence has broken out. In a cottage in County
Westmeath, thirteen-year-old Colm Conneely longs to join the local Volunteers, the ‘Rainbow
Chasers’ who are fighting for an Ireland free from English rule. But Colm has another ambition too —
to make a new life in America working as a fiddle player and involved in the republican movement
there. When spirited Belfast girl Alice McCluskey – who speaks Irish, shares his love of Irish music
and is also committed to ‘the cause’ – arrives in town, Colm’s dreams take a new turn. Where will his
talent lead him? And how will a long-held family secret shape his future?
Praise for the Sound of Freedom
‘Stirring, fast-paced…full of authentic detail.’
Irish Independent
‘Action-packed…I just couldn’t put it down.’
Ireland’s Own
