Gerry McCullough

The whole time I was reading this book I felt like it was a storyline for an extended episode of Scooby Doo, in fact I was sad that no bad guy at the end claimed that he "would have gotten away with it, if it weren't for those meddling kids".
I am pretty sure that this book was written for a 15-17 year old girl, as it often seemed to have been also written by one. The mystery if you want to call it that is as complicated as a Hardy Boys mystery, and was not terribly complicated to figure out.
I will not be reading any of the other books in this series.… (more)

Lady Molly &the Snapper is a delightful YA adventure that is both entertaining and educational. The characters are well crafted and loveable. Jik and his sister, Nora, are fed up of being left alone by their father while he drinks his troubles away at the pub. They understand that he’s mourning the death of their mother, and vow to find a way of boosting his self-esteem in the hope that he will stop boozing his life away. The answer comes in the shape of the Snapper who helps them go back in time in search of a precious family heirloom. Their adventures on the high seas brings them face to face with the famous Irish characters that have populated their family stories, and the sufferings endured by the victims of the terrible potato famine of Ireland.
This story goes beyond the exciting adventures of two children aboard an ancient ship in the tumultuous seas – it presents the loneliness of children dealing with the death of a parent, and the emotional damage caused by parental neglect. A great read for parents as well as children alike.
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"BELFAST GIRLS" BY GERRY MCCULLOUGH

I loved this book. Ireland has always been an interest of mine and learning more about it from this book was simply amazing. The story of two girls, Shelia and Phil and their life in Belfast, Ireland as they go from being children to teenagers and finally adults is touching enough. Though when you begin to toss in a few boys here and there especially John Branagh and Davy Hagan, life starts to get a bit difficult.

Two girls, hopelessly in love with two boys, one destined for the priesthood and trying to live a good life, the other into mob activity, drugs, and all kinds of trouble. They lead these two girls on such an adventure and even though Shelia and Philomena know they should turn away and forget them, it's impossible when they keep popping back up in their lives.

A touching story and at the same time a fantastic parody of modern life in Ireland, Gerry McCullough has written a wonderful book. I would place this high on the list of to-reads!

Kitty Bullard /Great Minds Think Aloud Literary Community… (more)