Bleamy's Corner
Posted: November 19th, 2016, 10:34 am
Eleven-year-old Jeremy is heartbroken at leaving his dog and friends behind when the 1802 Scotland drought forces his family to move to London. Too soon, he watches his father die of consumption. A night later, he follows his mother's lonely footprints in the snow where they end at the edge of London Bridge. He is tempted to follow her, but his grief turns to rage and he vows to persevere.
Hope and money gone, left alone to fend for himself, Jeremy drags his parents' belongings and furniture to a corner between two buildings. There, against the landlord, gangs and neighbors' objections, he makes his stand. With his smarts and will for survival, he bravely fights off those who try to steal his parents' possessions and worse, his freedom.
Jeremy ekes out a few pennies a night as a lamp boy, lighting the way for men seeking entertainment on the dangerous night streets. But as the Duke Street Boys muscle in, demanding a sizable cut, Jeremy pits his wits against them and a growing list of foes—the worst are the orphan hunters—who wish to capture and sell him to the textile mills. Everyone soon discovers this is not a boy to be trifled with.
Jeremy almost surrenders, when he returns one evening to find his shelter burning and the hunters awaiting him. Unbeknownst to Jeremy, his neighbors have been watching him and they have developed strong opinions about this brave little orphan. Jeremy's steadfastness and bravery have inspired them, and those who prey on children are about to be taught that this young boy is not alone in the world after all.
BLEAMY'S CORNER is a YA historical fiction novel complete at 82,000-words
Hope and money gone, left alone to fend for himself, Jeremy drags his parents' belongings and furniture to a corner between two buildings. There, against the landlord, gangs and neighbors' objections, he makes his stand. With his smarts and will for survival, he bravely fights off those who try to steal his parents' possessions and worse, his freedom.
Jeremy ekes out a few pennies a night as a lamp boy, lighting the way for men seeking entertainment on the dangerous night streets. But as the Duke Street Boys muscle in, demanding a sizable cut, Jeremy pits his wits against them and a growing list of foes—the worst are the orphan hunters—who wish to capture and sell him to the textile mills. Everyone soon discovers this is not a boy to be trifled with.
Jeremy almost surrenders, when he returns one evening to find his shelter burning and the hunters awaiting him. Unbeknownst to Jeremy, his neighbors have been watching him and they have developed strong opinions about this brave little orphan. Jeremy's steadfastness and bravery have inspired them, and those who prey on children are about to be taught that this young boy is not alone in the world after all.
BLEAMY'S CORNER is a YA historical fiction novel complete at 82,000-words