Summary
The year is 1865. At 13 years of age, Ailish O’Connor is already a fortune-teller. She and her father travel from place to place in Ireland and earn a living with her prophecies of the future, which are surprisingly accurate. Ailish has the gift of second sight.
Tragedy strikes suddenly one night in an Irish seaport when Ailish awakes to the sounds of vicious blows. In the second room that they have rented for the night, she finds her father beaten and dying, their savings stolen. Ailish is certain that a newly-met acquaintance of her father is responsible.
The next day, through a series of circumstances, Ailish becomes trapped on a high liner, the Great Eastern, as it casts off from Ireland on its historic voyage to lay the first trans-Atlantic telegraph cable.
The sailors on the Great Eastern are superstitious and Ailish must pretend to be a boy so that they won’t toss her into the sea. When she discovers that her father’s murderer, a dangerous and brutal man, is also aboard the ship, she knows that she must be doubly sure to keep her disguise – as well as her wits and courage – if she is to complete the long voyage and reach Newfoundland alive.
Posing as a cabin boy, Ailish sometimes receives help from a mysterious young boy named “Davy”, who never comes up on deck – yet seems to know everything about the ship. They become close friends. Later, she discovers that none of the ship’s crew have ever seen or heard of the boy. Could he be a ghost from the past?
This suspenseful story is very believable, and will “hook” readers as it brings to life a significant event in world history – the first trans-Atlantic telegraph cable. Readers will cheer for Ailish, a brave, resourceful and likeable heroine.