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Sunday, October 17, 2010

Call Me Kate: Meeting Molly Maguires by Molly Roe

Good morning! I hope you're enjoying your weekend so far. As many of you know, I write about Ireland quite a bit and adore history. So when Tribute Books asked me if I'd be interested in reading a young adult book titled Call Me Kate: Meeting Molly Maguires, by Molly Roe for review, I gladly said yes.

Call Me Kate: Meeting Molly Maguires

Coming of age amidst the seething unrest of the Civil War era, feisty fourteen-year-old Katie McCafferty infiltrates the Molly Maguires, a secret Irish organization, to rescue a lifelong friend. Under the guise of Dominick, a draft resister, Katie volunteers for a dangerous mission in hopes of preventing bloodshed. Katie risks job, family, and ultimately her very life to intervene. A series of tragedies challenge Katie's strength and ingenuity, and she faces a crisis of conscience. Can she balance her sense of justice with the law? Call Me Kate is suitable for readers from eleven to adult. The story is dramatic and adventuresome, yet expressive of daily life in the patches of the hard coal region during the Civil War era. This novel will appeal to readers of the Dear America series, as well as more mature readers who will enjoy the story's rich context and drama.

Read an Excerpt. Click here.

My thoughts on this book...

"From the opening line in Call Me Kate: Meeting the Molly Maguires, I was drawn in. Enrooted instantaneously in the life of Katie McCafferty, an Irish American girl who struggles to help support her family in a Pennsylvania coal mining town between 1860 and 1862, I couldn’t put this book down.

Without doubt, I learned quite a bit of history as I struggled through day to day life with Katie. Incredibly poor, immigrants and citizens alike struggled to make a living. The mining conditions were contemptuous. Colliery owners consistently neglected safety precautions. When accidents occurred─and they often did─many men were injured or killed leaving families without a breadwinner. In addition, every man faced the Civil War draft. Many northerners opposed the war, especially the Irish. Why be forced to fight for a country that was prejudice against them? From the embers of unrest caused by the draft and the mining death toll, a fiery uprising called Molly Maguires formed. This secret Irish organization would make its mark on history.

Be prepared to follow Katie through turbulent times. Her aggressive spirit and courageous attitude burst forth as the story unravels and she takes life-endangering risks to protect a friend within the rebellion. I must say, author Molly Roe pens a well-written and engaging tale. I highly recommend this story to those who want to learn more about Irish-American history!"

~Author Sky Purington

Watch a book trailer...



Eager to read Call Me Kate? Perhaps buy it for your daughter, niece, granddaughter or another young adult in your life? Click here to purchase!

A bit about the author...

Molly Roe is the pen name of Mary Garrity Slaby, a veteran language arts & reading teacher at Lake-Lehman Junior Senior High School. Mary holds a Ph.D. in education from Temple University, and Pennsylvania teaching certification in six areas. She has pursued the hobby of genealogy for the past decade. Mary was born in Philadelphia, raised in Schuylkill County, and currently lives in Dallas, Pennsylvania with her husband, John. They are parents of two grown children, Melissa and John Garrett, cover illustrator of Call Me Kate. Digging into the past has given Mary newfound respect for her ancestors and a better understanding of history. Call Me Kate is the first in the author’s trilogy of historical novels loosely based on the lives of the strong women who preceded her.

Follow Molly Roe on Facebook or at her Blog.

Learn more about Molly's publisher, Tribute Books at their Website, Facebook or Twitter.

I'd like to thank Tribute Books for providing me the opportunity to read Call Me Kate. It was well worth my time. And to Molly Roe, well done and congratulations on writing such an entertaining and educational story.

Enjoy your Sunday and be sure to pop back in tomorrow as my A-musing the World Blog Event continues!

~Sky

4 comments:

Chris J. said...

Sounds like a very interesting series and one me and my daughter could read together. Thank you.
Best Wishes.

Tribute Books said...

Sky - thanks for sharing 'Call Me Kate' with your blog readers. We appreciate your support of the book.

As a lover of Irish culture and tales of history, this one is right up your alley.

It is a huge compliment to say that you couldn't but the book down - we love to hear feedback like that - thank you!

Best wishes,
Nicole
Tribute Books

Sky Purington said...

Chris, it certainly is a great read for you and your daughter to read together! Best to you and yours.

~Sky

Sky Purington said...

You're very welcome, Nicole. Again, thanks for giving me the opportunity to read it! :)