Quake!: Disaster in San Francisco, 1906
By Gail Langer Karwoski and Robert Papp
3/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
A boy and his dog navigate dangerous rubble, prejudices, and survival in this riveting fictional account of the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.
It’s before daybreak in San Francisco on April 18, 1906. Mourning the loss of his mother, thirteen-year-old Jacob Kaufman slips out of the cramped boarding house where he lives with his immigrant father and little sister Rosie. Why couldn’t Papa just let him keep the stray dog—the one thing that has made him happy in months? But he forgets all his frustrations when the ground beneath his feet begins to rumble.
Buildings collapse, and the street splits wide open as Jacob runs for safety from a devastating earthquake. With just his dog, he embarks on a perilous search for shelter, food and water, and missing loved ones while grappling with his Jewish traditions and fighting prejudices against a new Chinese friend.
In Gail Langer Karwoski’s stirring fictional account of the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, young readers will relive the drama of the actual event and its devastating aftermath. An author’s note carefully separates fact from fiction, giving young readers a glimpse into one of the worst earthquakes in modern history.
Also available from Gail Langer Karwoski:
Seaman: The Dog Who Explored the West with Lewis & Clark
Surviving Jamestown: The Adventures of Young Sam Collier
Awards:
Young Adult Top Forty ―Pennsylvania School Librarians Association
Sunshine State Young Reader’s Award (Nominee, Grades 3-8) ―FAME
Volunteer State Book Awards (Master List, Grades 4-6) ―Tennessee Association of School Librarians
Kansas State Reading Circle Recommended Reading List (Starred, Primary) ―Kansas National Education Association
Massachusetts Children’s Book Award (Master List) ―Salem State College
Nevada Young Readers’ Award, Young Reader Category (Nominee) ―Nevada Library Association
Land of Enchantment Book Awards (Master List) ―New Mexico Library Association, New Mexico Council of IRA
Rhode Island Children’s Book Award (Nominee) ―Rhode Island IRA Chapter, RILA, REIMA
Notable Children’s Books of Jewish Content: The Best of the Bunch (Older Readers) ―Association of Jewish Libraries
Maxwell Medal (Children’s) ―Dog Writers of America
Gail Langer Karwoski
Gail Langer Karwoski, a former public school teacher, is the author of many award-winning books for young readers. Her historical novels include Quake! Disaster in San Francisco, 1906, and Seaman, the Dog Who Explored the West with Lewis and Clark. Gail lives in Watkinsville, Georgia.
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Reviews for Quake!
2 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Since I've been reading a lot of grown-up books on the 1906 earthquake over this past year, I decided to pick up this middle grade book on the subject so that my son could learn my about it. I read it first. Karwoski uses the backdrop of the earthquake to educate readers about the historical event and more--the protagonist, Jacob, is Jewish and mourning the loss of his mother a few months before, and wrestles with guilt over eating non-kosher food after the quake; he saves a Chinese boy and learns about the terrible ways that other people treat the Chinese; and the solution to the story isn't all neat and tidy, as he's left wondering in limbo for an extended period of time as he worries about if his family survived.I had two quibbles with the story. The first is that the dog he brings home the night before is the most active character in the whole book; the mutt should have been named Plot Point. He's the one who saves Jacob from being buried in the quake, he's the one who saves San, he reunites the family. The dog initiates every major event. The other issue is the sanitized way that looting was handled. In two cases, business owners encouraged people to loot their stores because the army was going to dynamite them, anyway. I'm sure there were some cases like that, but really? I think it would have been okay for Jacob to salvage some food under the circumstances, "permission" or not.In all, though, a good action-filled historical fiction book for kids, and one I'll pass along to my son.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I enjoyed this historic piece about a boy that had to indure a tradgedy and all the things he encountered and how he delt with it. I wonder what it was like to live back then without cell phones?