Wild Geese

by Caroline Pignat

Overview

Wild Geese, the sequel to the Governor General’s Award-winning novel Greener Grass, follows Kit Byrne and her friend Mick O’Toole after fleeing famine-ravaged Ireland. Across the Atlantic aboard a notorious “coffin ship”, through quarantine, and into the heart of North America, the two displaced teenagers endure storms, epidemics, and discrimination. Desperate to find her family in the New World, Kit is willing to sacrifice everything, even her love for Mick, to reunite the remaining orphaned Byrne children. Jack and Annie are out there somewhere and Kit will not stop searching until she finds them and her family is together again. The original "Wild Geese" were Irish soldiers fighting outside of Ireland, but the term later came to encompass all expatriate Irish. Fighting for survival a long, long way from home. People like Kit. This is her Wild Geese story.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781552442982
Publisher:	Red Deer Press
Publication date:	09/28/2011
Series:	Greener Grass , #2
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	335
File size:	698 KB
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Caroline Pignat was born in Dublin and raised in Ottawa, Caroline Pignat teaches grade 12 Writer's Craft and grade 11 English in Ottawa. She a two-time winner of the Governor General's Award, winning for Greener Grass as well as The Gospel Truth. She has also written the critically acclaimed young adult novels Egghead, Timber Wolf and Wild Geese.

Editorial Reviews

"Kit's first-person present-tense narrative is as beautifully simple and lyrical as it was in the first book: "Time to go home, no home to go to . . . with nothing to our names but the tales we tell." The elemental story of immigration will touch readers."

— Booklist

"More engaging than the earlier title if for no other reason than more happens to Kit sooner. In this volume, Kit is always an active participant-she is not simply observing her family and neighbors. A historical novel, a young adult coming-of-age tale, an adventure yarn, a story of faith and love, all of these describe Wild Geese and will draw a wide audience."

— VOYA

"Although this title can stand alone, reading the first book will certainly enhance understanding of this harrowing, realistic look at the immigrant Irish experience. Actual relief workers of the era play important roles, and an author's note offers more information about them and some of the places Kit visits on her journey."

— Kirkus

"One of the best ways to approach leaning history is to read a well-written and carefully researched historical novel. Pignat brings to life an era in pre-Confederation Canadian history through this tale of Irish immigrants while also keeping readers in suspense as Kit's life moves from one adventure to the next. . . Pignat has continued Kit's story with both empathy and enthusiasm and leaves readers satisfied yet yearning to remain with Kit and Mick as their new life in Bytown begins. The wild geese may well have come home to stay, but readers will hope that the story doesn't end there and that Pignat will add to the series and continue to delight her fans.

Highly Recommended."

— CM Magazine

From the Publisher

Gr 5 Up—In this sequel to Greener Grass (Red Deer, 2009), Kit Byrne finds herself on the run as a criminal, and with Mick O'Toole she boards the Erin, a ship bound for Quebec in 1847. On their journey, they fight to survive the horrendous Atlantic Ocean crossing with other Irish Famine families. While disguised as Mick's brother, "Kenny," Kit befriends a family who takes her under their wing. They lament meager rations, worry about people around them getting "the fever," and pray for the voyage to end. Tossed into the mix are a stowaway, Billy; a hateful sailor, Coyle, who wants "Kenny" and Mick dead; and the vengeful Lynch brothers who follow Kit from Ireland to bring her to justice. She manages to escape capture and make it ashore, but soon faces additional struggles. In Canada she learns the fate of her mother and siblings who sailed before her and has to adjust her plans for survival in a new world. Although Kit faces many adversities, she does not realize that she grows stronger with each one. She only knows that life is hard and that she does not know what to do with hers. Not until she understands her role in life is she able to open up and truly love. This is a compelling historical novel with well-researched details and plenty of backstory for those who have not read the first book.—Wendy Scalfaro, G. Ray Bodley High School, Fulton, NY

School Library Journal

In Greener Grass (2009), Pignat introduced readers to the plight of 15-year-old Kit as she suffered the horrifying consequences of the 1847 Irish famine. This sequel takes up days after the previous work ended and, like its predecessor, is narrated by its protagonist. Kit, pursued as a criminal, has safely made it on board an immigrant "coffin" ship bound for Canada, disguised as a boy and accompanied by Mick, her best friend. Along the way, with historically gritty authenticity, she encounters a lethal fever, near-starvation conditions and terrifying storms, while she desperately worries about her family, who sailed away before her. When she finally reaches Canada, there is more disease and separation as Kit struggles to find her way in a strange, often bleak new world. Although this title can stand alone, reading the first book will certainly enhance understanding of this harrowing, realistic look at the immigrant Irish experience. Actual relief workers of the era play important roles, and an author's note offers more information about them and some of the places Kit visits on her journey. (Historical fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews