This is the first time I’ve come across this unique series by Lauren Tarshis and published through Scholastic, but what a wonderful meld of some of my favorite subjects: history, survival, and youth fiction. I can’t wait to read some of the other books in the series, like the I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916 or Pearl Harbor, 1941.
I read this book first in order to stick with my current theme of turn-of-the-century historical books. I’ve been reading about Teddy Roosevelt, the Wright Brothers, and the Endurance adventures, and now I’m slowly plodding through David McCullough‘s The Path Between the Seas. This book fell right in line with that time period, so it was a no-brainer for me.
This story follows Leo, a newsboy in the classy streets of San Francisco. His dad died of fever a few months prior, so all he really had in terms of family were his dad’s stories of his grandfather’s adventures moving West and his grandpa’s gold nugget that he always carried as a keepsake.
When some bullies steal his nugget and he’s in the midst of a plan devised to steal the nugget back, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake rocks the morning and nearly kills the boys. Leo, along with another kid, Morris, and one of the bullies, Wilkie, then must navigate the burning town and its aftershocks just to survive.
I wasn’t sure what to expect with the “I Survived” theme. I was hoping there would be more information about how Leo, the main character, found potable water in a burning city, or how he’d brace himself properly in the midst of an earthquake. This wasn’t quite a book about how one could survive an earthquake, though, but rather a book about how a fictional kid survived the earthquake. It included some snippets of survival techniques, like dowsing a blanket in water and wrapping it around his body so he could walk through flames. Still, it’s not designed as a how-to survival book. It’s simply pure adventure.
This story touches on bullying, friendship, determination, and loyalty. It’s a great read for any kid interested in adventure and history, and with all its themes, it would also be a fantastic story for kids’ book clubs and discussions. I’m going to keep this in my library for when my own kids get interested, and I’m also going to keep my eyes peeled for others in the series. I gladly recommend this one.
©2020 E.T.
Read More about the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906:
- If You Lived at the Time of the Great San Francisco Earthquake by Ellen Levine (1988)
- A Crack in the Edge of the World by Simon Winchester (2005)
- I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906 by Lauren Tarshis (2012)
- The Bootlegger by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott (2014)
Read More from Lauren Tarshis:
- I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916 by Lauren Tarshis (2010)
- I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906 by Lauren Tarshis (2012)
- I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912: The Graphic Novel by Lauren Tarshis and Haus Studio (2020)
- I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916: The Graphic Novel by Lauren Tarshis and Haus Studio (2020)
- I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944 by Lauren Tarshis (2021)