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Bog Childby Siobhan Dowd
Staff Pick
Eighteen-year-old Fergus would give anything to escape the violence and hopelessness of his situation in Ireland. But for a young man with familial ties to the IRA, this is a hard thing to do. His life becomes even more complicated when, while stealing peat, he discovers the 200-year-old remains of a child in a bog. Complex, compelling, and challenging, Bog Child makes for a thought-provoking read. Winner of the 2009 Carnegie Medal, this novel is recommended for readers in grades eight through eleven. Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:DIGGING FOR PEAT in the mountain with his Uncle Tally, Fergus finds the body of a child, and it looks like she’s been murdered. As Fergus tries to make sense of the mad world around him—his brother on hunger-strike in prison, his growing feelings for Cora, his parents arguing over the Troubles, and him in it up to the neck, blackmailed into acting as courier to God knows what—a little voice comes to him in his dreams, and the mystery of the bog child unfurls. Bog Child is an astonishing novel exploring the sacrifices made in the name of peace, and the unflinching strength of the human spirit. Review:"When Fergus McCann, 18, crosses the border from Northern Ireland into the Irish Republic to steal peat for his uncle to sell as fuel, what he digs up is a small body, an obvious victim of violence. Are the Troubles now claiming children? he wonders. But nothing is as it seems in the late Dowd's (The London Eye Mystery) rich work, set in 1981 and exploring sacrifices made in the name of family and freedom. Archeologists suspect the body is ancient, and they overrun the hillside of Fergus's discovery. Haunted by his find, Fergus learns its story in vivid dreams. Daylight provides no respite. His brother, an imprisoned IRA member, has joined Bobby Sands's hunger strike. His father salutes; his mother grieves. Three exams away from earning entrance to medical school, Fergus doesn't understand the strikers' mission, but his brother is resolute: 'A coffin's a mighty statement, Ferg.' Experiencing first love with the lead archeologist's daughter, Fergus is torn when he's blackmailed into being a courier by his brother's friend. Dowd raises questions about moral choices within a compelling plot that is full of surprises, powerfully bringing home the impact of political conflict on innocent bystanders. Ages 12 — up. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) About the AuthorSiobhan Dowd’s novels include A Swift Pure Cry, for which she was named a Publishers Weekly Flying Start author, The London Eye Mystery, and Bog Child. She passed away in August of 2007 from breast cancer. What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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