Nothing Else But Miracles
by Kate Albus
Historical Fiction
Review #1
* * * * Stars (Great!)
Named for the sea, since, after all, both of their parents are. Fish (Fisher) Byrne, Dory (Doris) Byrne, and Pike Byrne are siblings living in Manhattan at the time of World War II. This is nothing new, yet there is something very distinct about these siblings. 1) Their father is away, fighting in the war. 2) They are alone in their apartment, even though Fish, the oldest, isn’t technically an adult—he’s only 17. When their father leaves for the war, he makes Fish promise to take care of the rest of his younger siblings. While this is not what Fish originally thought his duty for the war would be, he accepts it, and becomes the best big brother he can. Then, trouble moves in, literally. Their father always promised that if they should need something, the neighborhood would come through, including their landlord. However, their landlord dies, and they meet their new landlord. He’s not happy to see them messing around by themselves, he’s not happy that their father doesn’t seem to be there, and he’s not happy with the series of mishaps that continually add up. With the threat of the city coming to take the siblings into a ‘orphanage’, eviction by their new landlord, and the fact that their father’s letters have stopped coming, the Byrnes must find a new place to stay, a way to band together as siblings, and survive.
This book is an excellent historical fiction, set in the US during World War II. That perspective itself is interesting, since most World War II books are set either in England, where the frontier is, or the countries that are surrounding Germany. The plot is interesting, the characters are even more so, and the result is a book that is quite a commendable read for the author’s second book ever. Also, read the afterword! Photos, interesting facts, and notes on the research that went into the story are included. For middle and high school teens.
