This is a supurb read. It makes one feel as if you are living in Ireland in 1916-20, experiencing the life of the poor, the landlord and those in jail for the Irish fight for freedom. The characters are very well developed and you know them well by the end of the book. Totally engrossing. It is tough at time to experience the brutalities of war and jail, but the characters and families involved make it worth your while.Across the Bitter Sea by Eilis Dillon is also wonderful and starts in 1851 with some of the ancestors of those characters in Blood Relations. Terry M. Cullison, Huntingdon Vly, PA.

The title of the book I read for my multicultural book report is Children of Bach by Eilis Dillon. The book was very interesting it was about a group of kids during the holocaust and how they had to hide from the Nazi soldiers. The book takes place during the 1940's in Germany. One day Peter, Pilo, Suzy and Jack are walking home from school when they see a large group of people walking down the street. They wonder to themselves who all the people were and what they were doing. But they do not ask questions. Once they get home they discover that the door is unlocked and that the house is completely trapped. When they call but no one is home they know immediately what has happened. They had heard their father talking about Nazi soldiers coming in to the city and that they were going to take all the Jews to a camp where they would be treated very well. They are very afraid and decide that they should stay out of school for the next few days and that they should keep to themselves. One evening their next door neighbor, Miss. Naggy, comes to visit. They let her in and tell her how they are all alone in the house and that they needed supplies. She tells them that she will get them supplies and try to find a way out of the city for them. They thank her many times and let her out. The next day Miss. Naggy comes over and tells them of a van that is leaving in a few days to smuggle Jewish children across the border into Hungary. They accept her invitation and the next day they leave in the van. At around the fourth day the van driver decides to betray them and he turns them over to the Nazi soldiers. The Nazi soldiers take them back to camp where they escape by taking a brick and throwing it at the chain-link fence that surrounded the brickyard/concentration camp. Once they are free they run for the border where a man picks them up and takes them to Hungary. Then they are free. Later on in the year their parents come for them after the Holocaust is over.

Island of ghosts is not a horror book, but a spectacular book. Eilis Dillion is very descriptive. I enjoyed reading it although the ending gets kind of ironic.

This was my first Eilis Dillon book and after I was finished I was hooked. the description of the journey to the island is so detailed that I looked up my map to find out precisely where they were and I was disappointed to find out that they didn't exist. The father has been living a Robinson Crusoe lifestyle and with a lost island there is always treasure involved!

The Seekers

I rate this book five stars. I liked this book because it kept me wanting to read it, it was very suspenseful. I also liked it because it was like a love story and I like love stories. This was a very unique book. Not many books have the same theme as The Seekers, but one book I know is Titanic, the Long Night. It was a love story and a journey to the New World, which then was called New York. This story was very different form others I have read. I like that, it means that it doesn't copy other themes and has a mind of it's own. IT has a plot whish will make you want to read it over and over again. It is not only fictional, but historical too. It talks about the hardships that the people on the journey have to the New World and what they had to face when they got there. I recommend this book to anyone who loves romantic and adventure stories. It will make you want t read it, not like those fake books that are not suspenseful. It's short but very adventurous. I had fun reading it. This book makes you think how committed you are to your love ones. The people in this book care about each other very much, for example Edward is so committed to his love one Rebecca, that he goes all the way to the New World just to be with her. But also there is men in the story who loves adventure, but also can be caring. This book should be read, I recommend it.

After heavy storms on the island a cave begins to sing. Behind the former cave wall is a hollow and a viking ship is discovered, although vikings were apparently never in that area of Ireland. It's all the beginning of an adventure for a few young island boys.

With this book you learn about how different classes of people lived by following them for a day. Although the book is split in four sections they are all connected in some way. The book is never boring as the characters tell you about their lives.