In Between Worlds

In 1849, the Thomas Arbuthnot set sail for Australia. Onboard were 194 Irish girls. I heard the emotion in Sarah's voice as she asked, 'Will we ever come back?' 'Come back where?' 'Home,' said Sarah. 'Do you think we will ever see Ireland again?' Maggie and Sarah are on their way to Australia. Their homes and their lives have been devastated by famine, with death coming to so many. Even when they sought refuge in the workhouse they found horror and heartbreak there. When the girls are given the chance of a new life on the other side of the world, they know they have to say yes - no matter the price. On board ship, they are caught in between worlds. How will they find the courage and strength to build new lives in a strange land?

Nicola Pierce published her first book for children, Spirit of the Titanic, to rave reviews and five printings within its first twelve months. City of Fate, her second book, transported the reader deep into the Russian city of Stalingrad during World War II. The novel was shortlisted for the Warwickshire School Library Service Award, 2014. Nicola went on to bring seventeenth-century Ireland vividly to life in Behind the Walls (2015), a rich emotional novel set in the besieged city of Derry in 1689, followed by Kings of the Boyne (2016), a moving and gritty account capturing the Battle of the Boyne (1690), which was shortlisted for the Literacy Association of Ireland (LAI) awards. In 2018 Nicola delved in to the true stories of the passengers, crew and the legacy of the fated ship Titanic, in her illustrated book of the same name. To read more about Nicola, go to her Facebook page, www.facebook.com/NicolaPierce-Author and on Twitter @NicolaPierce3.