Maura and Patrick have escaped the desperate poverty and danger of leaving home in Ireland to face even greater peril as they continue their daring voyage to the New World with their friend Laurence Kirkle. Aboard ship, they are crowded into the stench-filled pit of steerage, where they come face to face with illness and death, trying their best comfort and protect eight-year-old Bridy, who has lost both her parents. They find themselves at the mercy of fellow passengers—shady characters like Mr. Shagwell, an American in dire need of cash, and the conniving Mr. Clemspool, who sails first-class with young Mr. Grout, haunted by his criminal past. Ahead lies their future in America, fraught with danger and more crisis than they ever anticipated.

Behind the Book

In my visits to schools kids were telling me that they could and would read very long books on their own—this was before Harry Potter days—simply because they enjoyed Stephen King or Michael Crichton. That interested me and surprised their teachers. It told me that if I could write a story that was truly compelling, I could write a long book. As a model I chose the Victorian novel, a long book with many short chapters, with a story that all but compelled the readers to turn the pages so as to see what happened next. That’s how Beyond the Western Sea came to be. Unfortunately, it was decided to publish the one book into two volumes. That has confused some readers. But the two books: Beyond the Western Sea: Escape from home, and Beyond the Western Sea: Lord Kirkle’s Money, are really one book and can be enjoyed best if read that way.