Content: G
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Johnstown was a working-class town with a steel mill. Through the voices of six children we learn of the life in the city below an earth filled dam. People work long hours at the steel mill and children go to school. The dam has a lot of problems with leaking and people in Johnstown complain to the rich owners who have built a fancy resort club on the lake held back by the dam. On May 31, 1889 the dam broke and flooded the Johnstown. Over 2,200 people died that day.
The story is told in beautiful verse by six children who lived through the disaster. I did not know of this flood, and was so captivated by the story I could not put the book down. The devastation of the flood was devastating to the people and to the town. Clara Barton came and set up Red Cross shelters for the survivors. She helped people carry on after the disaster. This is a remarkable story and a "must read." It would be a great read-a-loud to a class studying U.S. History. I highly recommend this great book. It is well written and easy to read. Read this book!
Ellen-Anita, LMS
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