Horse Thief 1898 (The Cally and Charlie Series) Simplified title: The Cally and Charlie Series - Horse Thief 1898

Orphaned and alone in the streets of Albany, can this feisty Irish immigrant lassie forge a life for herself and her wee brother? A world apart, can a privileged piano prodigy find anything in common with her? This suspenseful first book in the Cally and Charlie historical fiction series, Horse Thief 1898, surprises and delights.

Ireland, 1888. Five-year-old Cally Donnelly craves love, but her mother dislikes her, and her father, crushed by grief, neglects both Cally and her little brother. Cally feels the family is finally mending when Da comes back to them, but he decides to emigrate to America, upending Cally's entire world.

Gifted ten-year-old Charlie Malcomson can't wait to sail with his ship captain father. The birthday gift of his first voyage disenchants when Charlie's disobedience during a storm elicits his father's anger. And the next ocean crossing becomes heartbreaking for both father and son, when tragedy strikes an Irish lass they meet on board.

Knowing she dare not reveal the secret that makes her terrified to return to Ireland, Cally digs deep for the courage and ingenuity she and her brother need to strike out on their own. Though Charlie wants to help them, he faces his own crisis, complicated by an emotionally distant father and a terrible accident: to follow his lonely musical career or forge lifelong friendships as an "ordinary" boy.

Both youngsters face a traumatic adolescence. Will they ever see one another again? And will they be able to help each other if they do? Weaving a multi-layered adventure through the challenges of a kidnapping, a street gang in Albany, a barge on the Erie Canal, and a desperate flight to Kansas City, author Debra Kornfield deftly reveals how kindness from any source can change lives. Following two characters as they mature and heal, readers will be delighted by the unexpected twists and turns in a journey of hope and growth.

But who is the horse thief? If you like spirited heroines, emotional adventures, and surprise endings, then you'll adore Debra Kornfield's coming-of-age epic.

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