By Rosanne Parry
4Rbooks: 5/6, grades 6+ - 8+
Amazon rating: 4.7/5, grades 5-8
Good Reads: 4.07/5
Common Sense Media: Not yet reviewed
Pages 322
Synopsis:
It has been a rough couple of years for Kathleen (16) and Danny O’Carolan (12). They’ve been kicked off their property in Ireland, saw their father sent to Australia as a prisoner, and their mother and brothers have died. They’ve been on a journey to America to start over with their grandmother who sadly doesn’t survive the trip. They land alone in New York City with nothing of value except for Kathleen’s smarts and savvy, Danny’s singing and dancing talent, and the family treasure, wrapped up in a sack and never shown.
It’s 1863 and America is in the middle of the civil war. Work is scarce and tensions high. Kathleen finds them jobs as domestic servants for a wealthy homeowner, but there’s a catch. Danny must pretend to be a girl. Danny is willing to go through with the deception, otherwise he could end up in the workhouse, or joining the army as a drummer. Soon the homeowner discovers his wonderful singing voice and has him trained, with her daughter, by a music teacher.
Danny longs to be himself and finds ways to escape in the mornings and roam the streets of New York as a boy. He learns that he can grab an audience by singing and dancing and earn some money at the same time. Could his talent provide an escape for he and his sister to have a truly happy and successful life? Especially at a time when protests are rising over the draft and violence could soon engulf the city. And what about the family treasure? Is it finally time to open the sack?
Parental Guidance: medium-high
This is historical fiction about a dark time in American and Irish history.
While the author does not go into overly graphic detail of the horrors faced by many, she also doesn’t shy away from including them in the story. People are treated horribly. They are beat, maimed, and killed. Negative attitudes toward the Irish and African Americans are presented.
The sister is, and has been, physically abusive toward the brother, while
showing great love and devotion.
The brother goes through periods of doubting his faith and God, but also holds the church and his faith important to his life.
Recommendation:
In the late 80’s, early 90’s, elementary language arts education was based on the idea of “whole language.” One aspect of this concept was to get children interested in, and reading, entire books, not just passages. This included offering “trade books” to go along with science and social studies instruction. That was my first thought while reading this novel. It would make a great trade book for an 8th grade social studies class studying the Civil War and New York draft riots of 1863. It is rich in detail and focuses on diverse characters. It is not just focused on events, but on the lives and emotions of those living through those events.
Rosanne Parry is the author of two other books I have reviewed, A Whale of the Wild and A Wolf Called Wonder, both of which I enjoyed and recommended. This is another well-done story, but the violence it depicts makes it a middle school recommendation, only. Sensitive readers might find this book hard to finish. Parents and teachers should be available to help guide readers and answer questions that might arise about the ability of humans to be incredibly cruel to each other and the senselessness of rioting when the mob is only destroying their own community.
Last of the Name is one of those children/middle grade books that most adults would enjoy reading, too.
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