Product Description

Abandoned in a shopping mall when he was a baby, thirteen-year-old Tom Mullen has no family - he's spent his life shuffled from one rotten foster home to another. When he hears rumors that a mass grave has been unearthed on his school grounds, he feels himself inexplicably drawn to it, and then down into its terrible darkness and beyond. He discovers that he is no longer in Liverpool in 1974 but in Ireland in 1847, the height of the potato famine. A family named Monaghan takes him in, and Tom experiences for the first time what its like to have parents and siblings who cleave to one another even amid terrible hardship. But why has Tom been transported across time and place? And why must the grave keep yanking him back, at intervals, to his dreary, lonely existence in Liverpool? Most of all, what does it mean that the Monaghan's son Tully is practically Toms double? Tom stands by the Monaghan's in their plight, and in so doing discovers that the past, and the Monaghans, hold the key to his destiny.

Product Details

• Published on: 2002-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Turtleback

From Publishers Weekly
This eerie time-travel tale revolves around the excavation of a mass grave in Liverpool, England. Thirteen-year-old narrator Tom, a mistreated foster child, investigates an abandoned construction site and falls into a hole lined with decaying coffins and scattered bones. From here, he is magically transported to 1847 Ireland just in time to save the life of Tully Monaghan, an impoverished boy who could pass for Tom's identical twin. Imaginations will spin as readers speculate about the purpose of Tom's mission and his connection to a lookalike. Tom shuffles between past and present, helping the Monaghans survive the potato blight and returning to present-day slow-witted Brian, a foster brother in need of his help. Heneghan (Wish Me Luck; Torn Away) skillfully conveys a tug-of-war between Tom's allegiances and allows readers to empathize with the hero's subtle shifts: initially the Irish setting is more compellingly drawn because Tom feels a sense of belonging there, but as the protagonist recognizes that he also has a place in his own world, the strengths of his present-day situation become more apparent. The author relies heavily on coincidence to construct a neat, happy (and highly improbable) resolution, but many readers will be willing to suspend disbelief to welcome a brighter future for a hero who has experienced more than his share of darkness. Ages 12-up. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 7-10-Tom Mullen, nearly 14, has spent his life shuttling from one "fozzy" (foster home) to another after being abandoned as a baby. At his latest school, a construction project arouses his curiosity and he and his fellow foster kid, a developmentally slow boy named Brian, investigate the site. Skirting the security guard, Tom falls into a mass grave and out of 1974 Liverpool. He hits the ground in Ireland in 1847 just in time to perform CPR on a drowned, slightly older boy who could otherwise be his double. Tom stays with the Monaghans-Tully, Hannah, Brendan, and their parents-learning to care for them, especially Hannah, until accidentally transporting himself back to 1974. He manages to slip back to the past a few more times, experiences the forced migration caused by the potato famine, and comes to realize that the Monaghans are his ancestors and Tully is his great-grandfather. Heneghan's story-written in a very British vernacular-will appeal to time-travel fans who like their fantasy with an edge. Tom, while not always a likable character, tells a gripping story. The sections in 1974 have a gritty, almost impersonal feel to them, mirroring the atmosphere of foster-home life. In contrast, the parts with the Monaghans are warmer and more homelike. The ending, in which Tom finds his real parents, seems a little too pat, but makes for a satisfying conclusion. Recommend this to readers who enjoyed Nancy Bond's Another Shore (McElderry, 1988; o.p.) or to fans of historically detailed time-travel stories.
Lisa Prolman, Greenfield Public Library, MA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 7-10. Thirteen-year-old Tom Mullen, shuffled from foster home to foster home since birth, is tough, independent, and thinks he doesn't need anybody. All that changes when he falls back in time through a hole at a construction site, beginning a vivid, emotionally charged journey to nineteenth-century Ireland that illuminates a tragic part of Ireland's past, and forever changes the present. The engrossing novel, which begins in 1974 Liverpool, is equal parts adventure, fantasy, and historical fiction. It is also a compelling story of a teen who learns the rewards of love and family, particularly in times of adversity. Tom's expressive, first-person narrative, reminiscent of an edgier Holden Caulfield and filled with period detail, vividly portrays the impact of Ireland's Potato Famine on individuals and families, while revealing the vulnerability beneath Tom's tough facade. Tom is a likable, three-dimensional character, whose dilemmas are compassionately and realistically revealed. Although some readers may find the book's resolution too fairy tale-like, it opens a door of possibilities for change, hope, and redemption. An author's note briefly describes the real-life events that inspired the book. An engaging, beautifully written story with a complex, appealing narrator. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

For Time Travel and Historical Fiction Fans!
Tom Mullen is a foster child in 1974 Liverpool, England. He becomes curious about the rumors of a mass grave found near his school. While exploring the grave, he falls into the open pit and is transported to Ireland during the Irish Potato famine. He befriends the Monaghan family after saving Tully's (the oldest son) life. The descriptions of the Monaghan family and the others suffering in the potato famine are vivid. Readers will become engrossed in this part of the story. One feels empathy for the family and the horrors they must face daily. Tom travels back and forth in time regularly and readers may find this confusing. Only at the end of the story will this constant travel make sense. Also, the book is full of British slang. Those that are unfamiliar with British slang may find some of the slang confusing. I would recommend this book to those that enjoy time travel and/or historical fiction.

Decent historical novel
The teen book club at the neighborhood branch of our city library system chose The Grave for the February book -- but I was the only one who showed up for the discussion!

What was the book about? Well, the construction of a new school is no secret, but something the builders find is. Tom and Brian decide to check it out. What they learn is extraordinary: the excavation site is a grave with hundreds of coffins! When a guard discovers the youths and comes running, they begin to flee the gruesome site, but Tom stumbles into the grave. The next thing he knows, he's flying through time back to 1847, back to the Irish Potato Famine.

Well written, suspenseful historical novel that teaches as it entertains.

~ JFS

A Journey Through Ravaged Ireland
The Grave by James Heneghan portrays a young foster child, Tom Mullen, who does not know his origins and his family. He starts out in an abandoned department store and throughout his life, he searches for his own identity. He travels back in time to 1847 Ireland where he learns about his origins and his identity. With this interesting plot, this book was both entertaining as was as literary. The Grave had a good blend of fiction and non-fiction to create beautifully written historical fiction. The book was a fast-paced book; the adventure starts from page one and the author wastes no time fluffing up the introduction. The events and characters seem real because of Heneghan's vivid characterization and description. Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who loves reading historical fiction as well as someone who loves to read suspense novels.