"We will dance on the cliffs of Brooklyn. Maggie's Door" is the story of the journey from Ireland to America told by both Nory and her neighbor and friend Sean Red Mallon, two different stories with the same destination--the home of Nory's sister Maggie, at 416 Smith Street, Brooklyn, America. Patricia Reilly Giff calls upon her long research into Irish history and her great powers as a storyteller in this deeply involving, riveting stand-alone companion novel to "Nory Ryan's Song," "From the Hardcover edition." Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Gr 4-8-Fans of Nory Ryan's Song (Delacorte, 2000) will not want to miss this sequel. It begins as Nory leaves her home in Ireland a few days behind her friend Sean Red Mallon, his mother, and Nory's four-year-old brother, Patch, to embark on their journey to America. In alternating stories, Nory and Sean relate their distressing experiences as they make their way toward Nory's sister's house in Brooklyn. Both characters face trickery, cruelty, starvation, filthy conditions, and storms at sea, but they are determined to reach their destination. The theme is one of courage and hope for the future. The characters are developed fully, revealing their determination and courage, as well as their fears. Both Nory and Sean grow as individuals as they face each obstacle to their final goal. The mood of anticipation and apprehension is sustained as readers travel with them toward Maggie's door. Giff's descriptive language and detailed descriptions enable children to visualize the countryside and events along the way. Factual information on the potato blight and the resulting emigration is explained in an afterword. A welcome addition to any historical-fiction collection.-Margaret R. Tassia, Millersville University, PACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr. 3-6. In this sequel to Nory Ryan's Song (2000), Nory and some of her family and neighbors, driven from home by the starvation and disease of the Irish potato famine in the 1840s, try to reach the coast of Galway and then sail across the sea to join their families in America. Children unfamiliar with the first book may sometimes find it difficult to keep track of who's who here, especially since the story is told in the alternating narratives of Nory and her close friend, Sean, both of whom care for each other's relatives as well as their own. What is absolutely riveting is the harsh realism of the coffin ships : the crammed quarters, the hunger and brutality; the terror of a storm at sea; the strange sense of community and the hope. Giff brings the immigration history to life through the heartbreaking experiences of parting, loss, and, sometimes, thrilling reunion. HazelRochman. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.