Last of the Name (Hardcover)
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Staff Reviews
Here's a true adventure story: penniless Irish immigrants Daniel and Kathleen survive a dangerous ocean voyage only to be dumped into the tinderbox of Civil War-era New York City, where they need a plan, and quick, lest they starve. How do cross-dressing, a perceptive nun, a golden harp, and a theater magician figure in? This middle-grade historical fiction explores some acutely relevant prejudices through the eyes of a boy whose homesickness and hunger shows him the similarities between people no matter their beliefs, their looks, or their past. — From Emmy's Picks (page 2)
Description
Twelve-year-old Danny O'Carolan and his sister, Kathleen, arrive in New York City in 1863, at the height of the Civil War. Kathleen finds a job in domestic service for herself and Danny, hoping to keep Danny from being drafted into the US Army as a drummer boy. As he explores the city and shares his talent for Irish dancing, Danny discovers the vast variety of New York's neighborhoods. With the threat of the draft pitting Irish immigrants against the free Black population, stoking tensions between the rich and the poor, and threatening the life Danny hopes to build, can he find a safe place to call home?