Book description
A remarkable story of growing up in extraordinary circumstances
that will touch the hearts of all readers. Katie's whole world is
turned upside down when her family's home is destroyed by fire.
Everything they had is gone, and instead of pulling together it seems
as though her family is falling apart. They move to a new house, to a
school where nobody wants to know her, and Katie wonders just how many
changes she can take. In her fight for acceptance and to keep the
family together, she learns a lot about herself.
Born in Dublin in 1956 and brought up in Goatstown, Marita went to
school at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Mount Anville, later working
in the family business, the bank, and a travel agency. She has four
children with her husband James, and they live in the Stillorgan area of
Dublin. Marita was always fascinated by the Famine period in Irish
history and read everything available on the subject. When she heard a
radio report of an unmarked children's grave from the Famine period
being found under a hawthorn tree, she decided to write her first book,
Under the Hawthorn Tree. Published in May 1990, the book was an
immediate success and become a classic. It has been translated into over
a dozen languages, including Arabic, Bahasa, French, Dutch, German,
Swedish, Italian, Japanese and Irish. The book has been read on RTE
Radio and is very popular in schools, both with teachers and pupils. It
has been made a supplementary curriculum reader in many schools and is
also used by schools in Northern Ireland for EMU (Education through
Mutual Understanding) projects. It was also filmed by Young Irish Film
Makers, in association with RTE and Channel 4. This is available as a
DVD. Marita has written more books for children which were also very
well received. The Blue Horse reached No. 1 on the Bestseller List and
won the BISTO BOOK OF THE YEAR Award. No Goodbye, which tells of the
heartbreak of a young family when their mother leaves home, was
recommended by Book Trust in their guide for One Parent Families. Safe
Harbour is the story of two English children evacuated from London
during World War ll to live with their grandfather in Greystones, Co
Wicklow and was shortlisted for the BISTO Book of the Year Award. A Girl
Called Blue follows the life of an orphan, trying to find who she really
is in a cold and strict orphanage. Marita has also explored the world of
fantasy with her book In Deep Dark Wood. Marita has won several awards,
including the International Reading Association Award, the
Osterreichischer Kinder und Jugendbuchpreis, the Reading Association of
Ireland Award and the Bisto Book of the Year Award.
