Disasters

May 15, 2010
Grades 5-8 Taking on a theme with great dramatic appeal, each of the books 10 chapters presents a notable disaster: outbreaks of smallpox in North America beginning in the 1600s, the Great Chicago Fire, the Johnstown Flood, the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, the sinking of the Titanic, the 1918 flu pandemic, the 1930s Dust Bowl, the 2004 tsunami, and the drowning of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. Guibersons thorough research and clear presentation occasionally goes beyond the obvious facts to broaden the scope of discussion and her readers horizons. The chapter on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire ends with a discussion of sweatshops in the world today and how to avoid buying clothing depending on their labor. The Johnstown Flood chapter discusses industrialist-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, a member of the private club whose faulty lake dam gave way and caused the disaster. Illustrations, mainly photos and drawings, appear throughout the book. Chapter-by-chapter notes and bibliographies are appended. Useful for research and often fascinating, this is a very readable presentation of historical disasters.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)