SOLVED. YA Book I read in the 90s. A second generation Irish immigrant, Danny, is living through the Great Depression and his father heads out west looking for work while Danny and his Mom stay back home in the city. [s]

[Laura]

Danny and his mother are living in a big cit, maybe New York, and while his father has gone to look for work she takes in a tenant whose name I can't remember. Some scenes I remember
1) Danny gets caught either stealing from a shop or breaking something and ends up working off his debt there. He ends up putting some nuts in his pocket to snack on and instead ends up eating a meal worm.

2) He's got a crush on a girl (they are maybe 13 or 14) and they go see the movie A Farewell To Arms
3) He ends up having to swallow his pride and goes around begging with the other kids.

4) (view spoiler)[ His mother falls in love with the man they take in and she has a baby boy. She names him Padriac. Later, they find out that Danny's father was killed in an accident and I think they end up getting married? (hide spoiler)]

I loved this book as a kid, and I have been trying to find it for a long time to no avail. I hope someone else has read this!

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Do you think that this book was written by a well-known author or someone not as famous or even someone unknown to the general public? Any ideas on the cover? How about how long before you read it was it published--do you have any feel for that?

[Laura]

It wasn't a well known author . The cover, I want to say had a picture of an apartment building maybe. An old one from the era. It may have been published late 1970s or 1980s. I can't be for sure though. I was young. >.< I know that's not particularly helpful.

[Laura]

I got lucky and finally found it. It's called Nothing to Fear

[Kate]

Link: Nothing to Fear