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International Reading Association Award (1991)
Osterreichischer Kinder- und Jugendbuchpreis (1993)
Reading Association of Ireland - Premier Award (1991)
Children's fiction
Historical Fiction
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Blue Flag: For readers aged 10+
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The first book in the famine trilogy.
The Great Irish Famine brilliantly recreated through the story of three young survivors.
Ireland in the 1840s is devastated by famine. When tragedy strikes their family Eily, Michael and Peggy are left to fend for themselves. Starving and in danger of ending up in the dreaded workhouse, they escape. Their one hope is to find the great-aunts they have heard about in their mother's stories.
With tremendous courage they set out on a journey that will test every reserve of strength, love and loyalty they possess.
A new Classic Edition hardback of Under the Hawthorn Tree is now available.
The other books in the Children of the Famine trilogy are Wildflower Girl and Fields of Home. Under the Hawthorn Tree is also available in Irish, titled Faoin Sceach Gheal. A study guide to using the book in the classroom is available for free download below.
Extract available: read some of this book now ...
The first two chapters: meet Peggy, Michael and Eily
Teaching Resources: free to view and download
Teaching guide from O'Brien Teaching Guides Collection 2
Teaching ideas for fifth class from O'Brien Reading Programme
Teaching guide to the novel and film: introduction and episode 1 (349 kb)
Teaching guide to the novel and film: episode 2 (179 kb)
Teaching guide to the novel and film: episode 3 (215 kb)
Teaching guide to the novel and film: episode 4 (315 kb)
List of all available resources
Problems viewing resources? You will need a PDF file reader, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader,
which is available free from
Adobe.
Cover Gallery: other covers for this book
Praise for Under The Hawthorn Tree
'(A) vivid picture of the Famine era'
'fascinating and terrifying' Evening Echo
'Marita Conlon-Mckenna handles this appalling event in Irish history sensitively but never compromising the truth of hardship and human suffering.' Jane Murphy, Writeaway.org.uk
'the powerful story of the survival of three children, alone, and against the odds.' Publishing News
'The Great Irish Famine of the 1840s has received more fictional treatment than almost any other period in Irish historical children's books. Writing about the Famine posed new challenges to writers for children. The traditional passivity linked to ideas about famine would need to be overcome by some kind of action. The intense and horrible suffering and disease would need to be confronted truthfully but without lurid sensationalism. Some sense of an ending would need to be provided. In Under the Hawthorn Tree, Marita Conlon-McKenna confronted these problems with honesty and simplicity: the plight of three children becomes a kind of pilgrimage. The search for survival is not merely that, but also a search to sustain family loyalty and preserve memory.' The Big Guide to Irish Children's Books
'A great survival saga' Irish Independent
' ... beautiful and moving ... historically true and fictionally vivid.' The Sunday Times
'makes a whole part of our history come alive, while it still remains a thrilling adventure tale.' RTE Guide
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