Nory Ryan’s Song by Patricia Reilly Giff

Giff, Patricia Reilly. Nory Ryan’s Song. New York: Scholastic, 2000.

Nory Ryan and her family depend on potatoes. If the crops fail, they starve. They’ve heard that a disease is killing the potatoes. Nory worries about what will happen to her family if blight strikes their potato crop.

“Think about green leaves, I told myself. Think about the sun in the sky and Da fishing on a big ship. Think about good things. What else? A red wedding dress. Number 416 Smith Street in Brooklyn. Think about… Stories of famine, people dying in their houses. Da’s little brother. A boy like Patch. Please let the potatoes be all right” (40-41).

To find out what happens to Nory and her family, read Nory Ryan’s Song by Patricia Reilly Giff.