
Black Potatoes
The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850
HarperCollins · Print & ebook · May 2, 2005
2002 Sibert Medal Winner In 1845, a disaster struck Ireland.
We earn from qualifying purchases.
- Who it’s for
- A stark, human-scale account of the Great Irish Famine, holding hardship and resilience together.
- Themes
- The Great Irish Famine, Survival amid starvation, Hope in hardship
- Genres
- European History for Kids, Poverty & Homelessness, Death & Grief
Nearest books
Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved.
Bubonic PanicGail Jarrow42% match
Fever YearDon Brown48% match
American Plague, anJim Murphy46% match
What Was the Plague?Roberta Edwards47% matchShares European History for Kids
I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919 (i Survived Graphic Novel #11)Lauren Tarshis47% match
Plague-busters!Lindsey Fitzharris, Adrian Teal43% match
What Was the Titanic?Stephanie Sabol43% match
History Smashers: Plagues and PandemicsKate Messner, Falynn Koch42% match
For older readers: Terrible Typhoid Mary, Very, Very, Very Dreadful, Where the Heart Should Be
Start with three books, and this one can be the first.
Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.
Start with this bookAbout this book
2002 Sibert Medal Winner In 1845, a disaster struck Ireland. Overnight, a mysterious blight attacked the potato crops, turning the potatoes black and destroying the only real food of nearly six million people. Over the next five years, the blight attacked again and again. These years are known today as the Great Irish Famine, a time when one million people died from starvation and disease and two million more fled their homeland.
Continue reading
Black Potatoes is the compelling story of men, women, and children who defied landlords and searched empty fields for scraps of harvested vegetables and edible weeds to eat, who walked several miles each day to hard-labor jobs for meager wages and to reach soup kitchens, and who committed crimes just to be sent to jail, where they were assured of a meal. It’s the story of children and adults who suffered from starvation, disease, and the loss of family and friends, as well as those who died. Illustrated with black and white engravings, it’s also the story of the heroes among the Irish people and how they held on to hope.
History in Human Scale
A stark, human-scale account of the Great Irish Famine, holding hardship and resilience together.
Come here for
- History that keeps human lives in view
- Black-and-white engravings alongside a difficult chapter
Expect
- Accounts of hunger, loss, and people holding on to hope
Where it sits
| European History for Kids | 95% |
|---|---|
| Poverty & Homelessness | 47% |
| Death & Grief | 34% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Activity Books
- Historical Biographies for Kids
- History
- European History for Kids
Show all 8 publisher categories
- Military & Wars
- Modern History for Kids
- Europe for Young Readers
- Death & Grief
- Authors
- Susan Campbell Bartoletti
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- May 2, 2005
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- The Great Irish Famine · Survival amid starvation · Hope in hardship
- Reading lane
- Activity Books