Noteworthy experiences while reading this book: Really wanted to like this one

Check out author's other books? Maybe
Recommend this book? No

Notes and Opinions: For me this one just didn't work out. I love some middle grade but not all of them and this one just didn't work. I did like the main character as she was 12 and I am 13. The author did a great job showing her situation and how bad it was. As well as the beautiful descrptions of the world around her. I loved the setting of Ireland along with the historical aspects of the story. The issues I had with this one were that the story and plot really seemed like there wasnt one. It slightly felt like it was all over the place and just didn't know where it wanted to. I wanted to love all the characters but even some of them felt flat to me as well. For me this book felt more like a draft that still needed polish than a finished story.

Go Into This One Knowing: Needs work

Jo Napoli. This historical fiction tale of the year follows the aftermath of the potato blight in Ireland, 1846-1847. Once again the potato crops aren’t doing well and people are contemplating leaving Ireland for a more hopeful and prosperous land. The sentence describing the people’s worries about traveling to other countries, where guns are needed to fight off criminals, and how they were so shocked by this idea was an eye-opener. How times have changed. The story takes us through how tenants rebel against the landlords and how people die from starvation, injuries from fighting and also sickness. The postscript states the fictional and true parts of this story and recalls the horribly high death toll because of the potato blight and how the suffering continued for several years. The author’s note explains the reasons for the blight and the timeline of Ireland to the famine’s end starting at prehistoric times up to 1851. I appreciate the author taking the time for extensive research into Ireland and its history and for describing what the Irish people went through when their crops were devastated. 4 stars!

“Through the eyes of twelve-year-old Lorraine this haunting novel from the award-winning author of Hidden and Hush gives insight and understanding into a little known part of history—the Irish potato famine.

It is the autumn of 1846 in Ireland. Lorraine and her brother are waiting for the time to pick the potato crop on their family farm leased from an English landowner. But this year is different—the spuds are mushy and ruined. What will Lorraine and her family do?

Then Lorraine meets Miss Susannah, the daughter of the wealthy English landowner who owns Lorraine’s family’s farm, and the girls form an unlikely friendship that they must keep a secret from everyone. Two different cultures come together in a deserted Irish meadow. And Lorraine has one question: how can she help her family survive?

A little known part of history, the Irish potato famine altered history forever and caused a great immigration in the later part of the 1800s. Lorraine’s story is a heartbreaking and ultimately redemptive story of one girl’s strength and resolve to save herself and her family against all odds.”

I’ve been a fan of Donna Jo Napoli’s writing since I stumbled upon Hush while doing reviews for an old YA book review site. When I saw Hunger listed on NetGalley I requested it right away and crossed my fingers that I’d get approved. I was not disappointed.
Napoli has once again proven that she is a master in historical fiction. Not only has she constructed a well-researched world for her characters, but she’s delivered a heart wrenching storyline that kept me thoroughly tied to the pages.
Hunger is set during the Irish Potato Famine of the 1840’s. Twelve-year-old Lorraine, awakens one morning to the panicked sounds of her parents desperately trying to salvage their crops from another devastating fungal outbreak. In Lorraine’s small community of cottier farmers—and across Ireland—the Irish tenants face another winter of starvation and disease while their British landlords ignore—and even deny—their plight.
Lorraine soon finds herself walking a line between her dying friends and family and a friendship with the landlord’s sassy and self-involved daughter. Lorraine finds herself trying to convince Susannah as to the reality of the plight of the Irish, but Susannah has been raised believing the Irish have every opportunity if only they would take it upon themselves to fulfill them.
Hunger is filled with heartbreaking realities and conflicting moral decisions that must be made as Lorraine and her friends face a crisis of historical proportions. I was mesmerized, heartbroken, and could even feel the hunger—and guilt—as I read. Donna Jo Napoli has proven again that she is a master of historical fiction.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book should be compelling to students because it is written from the point of view of an older sister during Ireland's potato famine. As a big sister, she does the best she can to help her family. The book compellingly shows the families' hope that the blight will not affect their potato crop after the prior year's disaster, and their devastation when the famine continues.

I wasn't really sure about this book at first. The beginning seemed somewhat slow, and as the plot progressed the pacing of the story didn't necessarily increase (until the very end), but I definitely found myself becoming more and more invested in the characters. I've never read anything about The Great Famine in Ireland (only ever heard of it), so it was really interesting to read a novel based on that time period.

I can't say anything as to historical accuracy, though the story felt real. There were two character specifically whose relationship dynamic reminded me a bit of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne where one has more privilege and doesn't understand the plight of the oppressed.

One thing I liked about the author's style was, throughout the story, instead of trying to describe every minor detail of a major plot point, the detail was implied rather than told. Some people might not like that style, but I did. The ending of the book felt somewhat rushed, but it was still a compelling read.