Books with author Patricia J. Murphy

Life sucks for twelve-year-old Irish-American Ava when she is dragged to Dublin by her mother during her parents’ bitter break-up. She is bullied at her new school and her only friend is moody teenage neighbour Mal, who has secrets of his own. But when Ava finds an emerald and a bundle of old letters in the attic, she is plunged into a historical mystery linking the missing Crown Jewels of Tsarist Russia to the heart of Ireland’s bloody Civil War in 1922. Who was the author of the letters – young medical student Molly O’Donovan? Why did her brother Jack the Cat smuggle the jewels from the United States? And did her football-mad cousin Dan make it through the seaborne invasion of the south to put down the rebels?Through the eyes of Molly, Ava encounters the death of Michael Collins, deadly ambushes in Kerry and the tragic fate of former comrades. As Ava learns about the tragedy of the Civil War, she is forced to confront the conflict in her own life. Can the journey into the past help her to learn the importance of reconciliation and new beginnings?

Easter 1916. The Great War rages in Europe with two hundred thousand Irishmen fighting in the British Army. But a small group of Irish nationalists refuse to fight for Britain and strike a blow for Irish freedom. Caught up in the action in Dublin, is twelve-year-old Molly O’Donovan. Her own family is plunged into danger on both sides of the conflict. Her father, a technical officer with the Post Office dodges the crossfire as he tries to restore the telegraph lines while her wayward brother runs messages for the rebels. Molly a trained First Aider, risks her own safety to help the wounded on both sides. As violence and looting erupts in the streets of Dublin alongside heroism and high ideals, Molly records it all. The Proclamation at the GPO, the battle of Mount Street, the arrival of the British Troops. But will Molly’s own family survive and will she be able to save her brother? This is her diary.

A digital solution for your classroom with features created with teachers and students in mind: • Perpetual license • 24 hour, 7 days a week access • No limit to the number of students accessing one title at a time • Provides a School to Home connection wherever internet is available • Easy to use • Ability to turn audio on and off • Words highlighted to match audio Text and photographs introduce a visit to the apple orchard, with a description of how apples are harvested.