Under the Hawthorn Tree Author:Marita Conlon-McKenna Ireland in the 1840s was in the grip of a terrible famine. When their father and mother go missing in a desperate search for food, the three O'Driscoll children, Eily, Michael, and Peggy, are left to fend for themselves. — Starving and in danger of the dreaded workhouse, they escape. Their one hope is to find the great-aunts they have heard a... more »bout in their mother's stories. With tremendous courage they set out on a journey that will test every reserve of strength, love, and loyalty they possess.« less