more recommendations from my semester

These are the other books that I read this semester and completed other projects for. I though I would include them because my final project blog only required 10 of the books but I read 27 altogether this semester. I didn't include the ones that I didn't enjoy all that much.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a classic written by Betty Smith. While it is a young adult novel, I think that some of the Great Depression Era references might be lost on today's young adults, unless they are familiar with the history. It is a story of struggle, family and survival. I'm really glad it was on my list to read for class because I already had been planning to read it and this assignment allowed me to do that. A great read for any adult or really mature YA with some background knowledge.
Speak is a book that is a surprise right until the end. I was really shocked by this book, there is some very mature subject matter in it. I don't want to spoil it for any one so I'll leave it at that but it would be good for 8th graders on up I think. It was written by Laurie Anderson, very good book.
This book, Aleutian Sparrow by Karen Hesse is not one that I read for class but just for pleasure. It is a very short book written in verse that tells the story of the Aleutian people being kicked out of there homes during the war. It is a very sad and touching story that is based in truth about the Japanese attacks in 1941 and 1942. A beautiful tribute to the Aleut people of Alaska.

This book is hilarious! I loved Sherman Alexie's story and think that any kid would also love and relate to it as well. Junior is a Native American boy growing up on a reservation and there are many sad things that happen to him but he doesn't give up hope that he can make a great life for himself. This is a good book for any student who like to laugh and loves a great character.

Caroline B. Cooney's Code Orange is a very exciting thriller. Mitty is a high schooler who is not that interested in school until he has to write a paper on small pox. Where the research takes him will keep you guessing and the twist toward the end will surprise you. A very intriguing read.

This graphic novel, The Plain Janes by Castellucci, is a good story with great black and white illustrations. Jane moves from the city to the suburbs and is trying to find something that will excite her again. She and her friends are all named Jane and they find a way to bring art and excitement to the town.

Gordon Korman has written a very funny book about a kid who was born into a mob family and wants absolutely nothing to do with it. Vince Luca has enough trouble on his own but he accidentally gets himself into a huge mess with some of his dad's business and the laughs go on and on.

Richard Peck gives us a tale about a girl named Peewee who is living with her brother and grandparents. The story is set during the advent of the car and she works with her brother fixing them up when she isn't at school. Peewee ends up racing in the town's biggest race of the year and her life is never going to be the same afterward.

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones is a fantasy novel about a girl named Sophie who has two sisters and a step-mother. She has a spell put on her that makes her old and she ends up living in the moving castle with Howl, his assistant and the talking fire. This book was interesting, I actually listened to it on audio CD and was able to have all the characters acted out. I think I enjoyed it more with the audio than I would have just reading it on my own.

The book The Hoopster by Alan Lawrence Sitomer is a racially charged story of a young high school student named Andre. Andre is very smart, he makes good grades, works for a magazine and wants to go to college to become a writer. When he is assigned to write and article, he is forced to look at his life and how he has been affected by racism for the first time. This reflection takes Andre and his friends and family on a journey through some tough times and there is a good lesson in the story.

Margaret Peterson Haddix's Shadow Children Series begins with Among the Hidden. It is the story of a boy named Luke who is the third child in his family. The problem is that third children are outlawed and the Population Police are on the look out for children who are illegal. Luke has lived a very sheltered existence without going to school and not having any friends. He finally meets a friend, a girl named Jen who is his new neighbor who is also a hidden third child and they meet in secret when they can. Jen is trying to start a movement with other third children which overturns the law but is met with strong opposition and it costs her dearly. This is a very intriguing series and I am on book three, Among the Enemy now.

Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger is the story of two friends. John and Marisol are both in high school and trying to figure themselves out. They both write small self published work called zines that they distribute to anyone who will read them, this is how they become friends. The problem comes when John falls for Marisol but she can't return the feelings because she is a lesbian and they go through a tough time figuring out what their relationship should be. This is a great story about friendship that is universal.

The City of Ember is a genius piece of work by Jeanne Du Prau. I love this book, it is about a group of people that have been sent to live below the Earth and have been there so long that they think it is the only place that exists. Two kids figure out that it isn't and embark on a journey to find a way out. This is the first book in a series of four.

Down the Rabbit Hole is the first in a series by Peter Abrahams. These stories are mysteries and the main character and detective is Ingrid. She is a middle school student and a soccer player, she also happens to adore Sherlock Homes and has studied all of his books. Ingrid is solving the mysteries of Echo Falls one clue at time and gaining fans along the way.

Behind the Curtain is the second tale of Ingrid and the mysterious Echo Falls. This is a great series and the third book is called Into the Dark and is on my "To Read" list.

New Favorite

I just finished reading Water for Elephants and I loved, loved , loved it! I think Sara Gruen is brilliant and she has crafted a beautiful story around a most intriguing subject, the circus. The characters are so well developed and vivid, including the ones who are non-human. I was in a trance the entire time I read this book because the story is just so riveting. This is definitely not a young adult book so I recommend it to other adults. It was like nothing I've ever read before, check it out! - Ellen

Hello Again Everyone!

I am back to blogging about Young Adult literature for my class LS 5623 and the next 10 book reviews will be part of my final project for this class.


1. Crutcher, Chris. Athletic Shorts, Six Short Stories. Harper Collins, New York. 1989. ISBN 0688108164.

Athletic Shorts is a book with 6 short stories about characters from Crutcher's many works. The first story is about Angus Bethune and is the only story that does not have a character from one of Crutcher's earlier works. It is the story of a boy with gay and lesbian parents, one set of moms who are a couple and one set of dads who are a couple. He is overweight and not popular but as a joke, his classmates have voted him to be the Senior Winter Ball King. The Queen, naturally is Melissa LeFevre, the girl that he has liked for quite some time. Angus goes to the Winter Ball alone and is aware that the whole idea of him as the king is a joke but does not want to miss his chance to dance with Melissa. There is a catch, he can't dance and Melissa's boyfriend is being a jerk and calling him names and teasing his family. As Angus and Rick have words, Angus gets really angry and takes Rick down. Melissa and he end up having a good time dancing and talking and they get the last laugh on Rick.

Another story from this collection is Telephone Man. This is a powerful story about race relations and what parents pass on to their children. The main character Jack is a high school student at an alternative school in Oakland. He carries a telephone repairman's tool belt around and can repair any telephone equipment but he can not be successful in a regular school because of his anger issues. His father is a racist and points out the flaws of every race to his son constantly and he has a derogatory name for all other races but his own white race. There are many different ethnicities at the school Jack attends and he is not there long before a group of Asian kids by the bus stop start to harass him. An African American student named Hawk has taken a liking to Jack and protects him from the incident and watches over him. This occurrence is contrary to everything that Jack has been taught about black people and he doesn't know what to make of it. He also has an African American principal that has treated him fairly which also throws off his father's ideas and confuses him. In the end, Jack decides that he is not going to hate other people like his father but will tell him that he does so that he doesn't have to deal with what his father might think.

I just love the way Chris Crutcher writes. His stories are both funny and serious and the characters that he creates are realistic and believable. I think that this book was on the banned list because it tackles some very heavy material like gay parents, AIDS and racism. I think that Crutcher's books are great because he takes on these very real issues and does not back down. I recommend the book Athletic Shorts to readers because it is interesting, entertaining and engaging from beginning to end.

Reviews:
From Publishers Weekly
"If the stereotype of the "bonehead jock" is ever to be defeated, it will be at Crutcher's hands. In these six short stories, he and his athlete protagonists take on such weighty issues as racism, homophobia, sexism and the teenager's essential task of coming to terms with his parents. At the same time the author makes the world of sports compelling enough to engage even the most sedentary readers."
From School Library Journal
"The stereotype of jocks as insensitive dullards is challenged in stories that grapple with the big questions of life as well as with athletic prowess, told with good-natured aplomb and gritty honesty. "

2. Polacco, Patricia. Pink and Say. Philomel Books, New York. 1994. ISBN 0399226710.

Pink and Say is the story of two teenage boys who are Union Soldiers in the Civil War. The book begins with Pinkus or "Pink" saving Sheldon or "Say" in a field where he lay injured after being shot in the leg. Pink brings Say home to his own mother who cooks for them and allows them to get some rest from the war. They become friends and Pink's mother Moe Moe Bay takes care of them. Say learns all about Pink's family and how they were slaves before the war broke out and how marauders are always coming to the shack where she lives. Pink knows how to read but Say does not and Pink vows to teach him. Say announces that he has shaken the hand of President Lincoln while he was out greeting the soldiers before Bull Run. Neither of the boys wants to leave but they know that they will have to return to their troops. Say is especially scared because he was a deserter, he left and was shot while trying to escape. While the two of them are getting ready to return to the war, marauders head in their direction. Moe Moe Bay hides them in the root-cellar, Pink and Say hear a gun shot while they are hiding and then come out after a while. They find Moe Moe Bay lying by the porch and she is shot, the boys take turns holding her until she is gone.

The boys get captured and become prisoners of the Confederate Army. They are separated when they get to Andersonville by train and Pink asks to touch the hand that shook the hand of President Lincoln one last time. In the end we get a recap of the lives of the two, Pink is never released and it is said that he was hanged. Say is released from a Confederate Prison after several months and goes on to have a life with a wife and children. Patricia Polacco claims this story is true because she is the great-great granddaughter of Sheldon Russell Curtis who has passed on the story of the life of his friend Pinkus Aylee.

This is a very sad story of a very difficult time in our nation's history. I can not help but think of how far we have come in regards to race relations and equality. It is hard to imagine that just four to five generations ago we were fighting to end slavery in this country and now we are celebrating the first African American President our nation has seen. I think this story is a touching tribute to Pinkus Aylee and I think that anyone who reads it will find themselves saying his name out loud at the end and remembering this story always.

Reviews:
School Library Journal
"Say, 15, had never seen a black person up close until Pink, also a young Union soldier, saves his life. During his brief stay in Pink's home, the wounded boy comes to understand his friend's unconquerable vision of freedom. A memorable family reminiscence with evocative paintings."(Oct. 1994)
Booklist
"Hands and gestures have always been important in Polacco's work. Here they are at the center of a picture book based on a true incident in the author's own family history. It's a story of interracial friendship during the Civil War between two 15-year-old Union soldiers. Say, who is white and poor, tells how he is rescued by Pinkus (Pink), who carries the wounded Say back to the Georgia home where Pink's black family were slaves. In a kind of idyllic interlude, Pink and his mother nurse Say back to health, and Pink teaches his friend to read; but before they can leave, marauders kill Pink's mother and drag the boys to Andersonville prison. Pink is hanged, but Say survives to tell the story and pass it on across generations."


3. Crutcher, Chris. King of the Mild Frontier, An Ill-Advised Autobiography. Greenwillow Books, New York. 2003. ISBN 0060502495.

Chris Crutcher's autobiography is a series of chapters that give snippets of his life, from when he was very young to his life as an author. He writes a chapter entitled "Conversations with Gawd" which is about going to Sunday School at a church that his family did not attend regularly. Crutcher explains that he wanted the prize for perfect attendance so he did not miss fifty-two Sundays in a row between his fifth and sixth year. He did get a prize, it was a plastic "Jesus Saves" trophy on a brown plastic base, he was recognized in front of the congregation with two other children. The best part was when the lights were turned out and their plastic "Jesus Saves" trophies glowed in the dark. In a scuffle with his brother the trophy falls to the ground and the J breaks off, leaving Chris with just the "Esus Saves". His older brother convinces him that Esus is Jesus's older brother and that he is the only one with a statue of his name and Chris believes it.

This book includes fights with his brother, the sports he tried to play, the girls' he liked and who did not like him back, and his work as a counselor. Crutcher explains the process of how his friend was writing young adult books and so he attempted to do the same and wrote the rough version of "Running Loose". He sent it to his author friend who sent it on to a publisher and to his surprise was published after removing much of the fowl language of the first draft. All of this did not happen for Chris Crutcher until he was in his mid thirties, incredibly enough.

I enjoyed reading about Chris Crutcher's life because much of it read like his novels do and it was easy to get a sense of how he comes up with all of those ideas. I think he draws a great deal from his real life experiences but he has an incredible knack for remembering even the smallest of details. I guess that is what makes him such a prolific an entertaining story teller.

Book Reviews:
The New York Times
"Chris Crutcher, the author of Whale Talk, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, Stotan! and other popular sports-themed novels for young adults, says that some of the nutty, cruel and unusual stuff in his books really happened. At least it did to him. And that is the fun and the tender heart of an entertaining and not at all ill-advised memoir." — Tom Bodett
Publishers Weekly
"In this funny, bittersweet and brutally honest autobiography, Crutcher recounts his journey from a boyhood misspent in remote Cascade, Idaho, to his present life as a writer," wrote PW in a starred review.

4. Hopkins, Ellen. Crank. Simon Pulse, New York. 2004. ISBN 0689865198.

Crank is the story of a girl named Kristina who is a high school student in a middle class family who gets addicted to drugs. She goes to spend the summer with her father and ends up using drugs while not being supervised properly and given way too much freedom. She falls in love with a boy while there and he is the one who exposes her to the "monster". When she returns home it is difficult for Kristina to function without using the drug and soon finds "friends" who also use and can get her drugs as well.

Throughout the story, her mother and step-father are not really sure what to do about Kristina's weird behavior, she is staying out late, acting strange and failing most of her classes when she did not do those things previously. She goes on a date with a boy who gets drugs for her and is date raped. This incident leads to her becoming pregnant later in the book. In the meantime she begins sleeping with her boyfriend Adam, who also used drugs but is going away to college soon in California. When Adam finds out about the baby, he says that he will marry her and raise it, they figure out that the baby is not Adam's but Brendan's from the rape and he still wants to marry her. Kristina decides to have an abortion but can not go through with it and ends up having the baby. For the most part she stays off drugs while she is pregnant but the book ends with the call of the monster for her and a pretty open story for the sequel.

I enjoyed the fact that this book was written in verse. I found it easy to read and thought that the style of the words and lettering was very clever. I can definitely see the appeal for teenage girls in this book, even though it is a tragic story. The material is definitely mature and I think more appropriate for high school age students but middle school age students are reading it quite a bit as well, which I think is fine as long as they understand that the subject matter is difficult.

Book Reviews:
Publisher's Weekly
"Readers will appreciate the creative use of form here (some poems, for instance, are written in two columns that can be read separately or together), and although the author is definitely on a mission, she creates a world nearly as consuming and disturbing as the titular drug."
Valerie Ott - VOYA
"Hopkins delivers a gritty, fast-paced read while effectively portraying the dangers of substance abuse without sounding pedantic or preachy. Teens will relate to Kristina's desire to experiment as well as her difficulty balancing conflicting feelings. Similarities to Go Ask Alice (Simon & Schuster, 1971) are undeniable, but perhaps this more modern version will be more accessible to today's teens. "

5. Crutcher, Chris. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. Greenwillow Books, New York. 1993. ISBN 0688115527

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is a story of two friends and what it takes to really be there for someone. Eric Calhoune is an overweight swimmer in high school with a single mom, everyone calls him Moby. Sarah Byrnes is his best friend who is disfigured from being burned with an abusive father. The book opens with him explaining why he is a reluctant athlete, he thinks that if he loses too much weight, Sarah will not want to hang out with him anymore because they will not have being the outcast in common any longer.

Sarah Byrnes is in a Psychiatric facility for being practically comatose, she just "checked out" as Moby puts it. No one knows what triggered this episode or how to get her to snap out of it, but Eric goes to the hospital to visit her almost every day. He talks to her but she does not respond until later in the story. We find out why she does not want to go home and it is because her father is awful and abusive. Eric sets out with the help of one of his teacher's to get Sarah to a safe environment away from her father and he rescues her from the hospital. When Ms. Lemry drives Sarah out to Reno to find her mother, the visit does not go as well as she hoped. Sarah's mother does not make any effort to want to know her at all and they return with knowledge that at least they tried. The story takes a somewhat violent and unexpected turn toward the end but I will not spoil the ending, it is worth the read.

When I was in high school I read Running Loose and knew that Chris Crutcher was a good writer. As an adult, I have had the chance to read more Chris Crutcher and he did not disappoint me. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is a story about friendship and hope, it deals with difficult situations and mature language and material but it sends an important message. Sarah Byrnes stands up for herself and with the help of her friends she is able to giver herself a shot at a normal life. I think the heart behind this story speaks volumes about the quality of young adult literature that is available right now.

Book Reviews:

Publishers Weekly
"Such superlatives as ``riveting'' and ``powerful'' can only hint at the craftsmanship on display in this transcendent story of love, loyalty and courage. While probing such issues as friendship, free speech and moral values, Crutcher ( Chinese Handcuffs ; Stotan! ) tells a tale whose mordant humor, poignancy and suspense pack a breathtaking wallop."

School Library Journal

"An obese boy and a disfigured girl suffer the emotional scars of years of mockery at the hands of their peers. They share a hard-boiled view of the world until events in their senior year hurl them in very different directions. A story about a friendship with staying power, written with pathos and pointed humor." (Mar. 1993)

6. Shan, Darren. Cirque du Freak, A Living Nightmare. Little, Brown and Co., New York. 2000. ISBN 0316905712.

Darren Shan begins this book with an introduction and explains that this series of stories is true and really happened to him. He names the main character after himself to prove the point. The story begins with Darren and his friends finding a flyer advertising a freak show called Cirque du Freak. Immediately they all want to go but Darren's friend Steve is only allowed to by two tickets so they have to decide who will go with Steve and Darren eds up winning the ticket. The two boys enjoy the show immensely but Steve is bothered by the fact that he recognizes one of the performers. Mr. Crepsly, the man who controls the spider Madame Octa with a flute is someone he has read about. Darren is infatuated with the spider from the beginning and loves every second of the show.

Afterward when Darren is supposed to leave without Steve, he sneaks up to the balcony adn hears Steve's confrontation with Mr. Crepsley. Steve knows that Mr.Crepsley is a vampire named Vur Horston and he wants to become one. Vur Horston tests Steve's blood and denies him claiming that he is evil, he vows to grow up and become a vampire killer and hunt Vur Horston down. Darren is frightened by the event so he goes home and decides later that he has to have the spider, so he steals Madame Octa from Mr. Crepsley later that week before he circus leaves. This begins a whole slew of trouble for the boys becasue the spider ends up biting Steve and almost killing him. In order to get the antedote Darren must become part vampire and become Vur Horston's assisstant. Darren's death is faked so that he can fulfill his part of the deal and the book ends with a set up for the sequel, The Vampire's Assisstant.

I did not enjoy this book as much as others for this semester but it was entertaining. I am not a big fan of vampires or spiders for that matter but I can definitely see the appeal that this book has for students. I thought Darren Shan was very good at keeping the suspense going and I never could predict what was going to happen next.

Reviews:

Publishers Weekly
"The scenario is compelling, and the author mines the exploitative history of early 20th century sideshows to create an artfully macabre cirque du freak. "
VOYA
"...sure to start some great urban legends..."

7. Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. Black Potatoes, The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850. Houghton Mifflin, Boston. 2001. ISBN 061800271.

Bartoletti captures the horrific scene of a famished Ireland in her nofiction piece Black Potatoes. The book reads very much like a story and is disturbing because it tells of so many terrible occurances that the Irish people had to endure during this time. In Ireland at the time the main crop was the potato and it was harvested two times every fall, the new potatoes and the full grown ones. Irish people would save the potatoes in cellars and eat off them almost all year or until they ran out. In 1845 a disease infested the crops of potatoes and only very little amouts were able to be eaten. This potato shortage caused a famine that brought many other problems along with it.

The British were not very keen on the idea of giving relief to the Irish and only one Englishman was fighting for food and money to be sent to Ireland. He was fighting an uphill battle, but eventually corn was sent to Ireland but because it was very raw and the people did not know how to prepare it, the corn ended up making many sick and caused some people to die. The Irish Poor Act caused so many people to be living in close quarters in the workhouses that disease broke out killing many people. The population of Ireland before the famine was about eight million but decreased by about three to four times that due to migration but mostly death from statvation and disease. The effects of the famine were felt long after it began to slow down in 1850. The relations between the Irish adn the British were verr strained and the country of Ireland had a substantially lower population. There are mor than forty million people in the United States who claim Irish ancestry mostly due to the potato famine.

I was glad to have the opportunity to read this book during the nonfiction section of the semester. The Great Irish Famine is not something that I had a lot of knowledge about and I enjoyed the way Bartoletti told the story. It was inforamtive but also enjoyable to read. Because there were no photographs at this time in history, it was helpfule to have all of the maps and illustrations throughout to help give the information.

Reviews:

From Houghton Mifflin, publisher of the book

"It's the story of children and adults who suffered from starvation, disease, and the loss of family and friends, as well as those who died. Illustrated with black and white engravings, it's also the story of the heroes among the Irish people and how they held on to hope. "

Maureen Griffin - KLIATT

"Ethnic and religious prejudices are presented realistically, and there are references to the present crisis in many societies and what the appropriate response should be today when human beings lack access to food. A powerful and important book."

8. Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Among the Impostors. Aladdin Paperbacks, New York. 2001. ISBN 0689838049.

Haddix's Among the Impostors is the second in the Shadow Children's Series. The book picks up with the main character Like Garner, and illegal third child, going to an all boys school with a new name. He now has a fake ID and records as Lee Grant and will live out in the open for the first time in his teenage life. Jen Talbot's father, who works for the Population Police has arranged for him to go to the Hendricks School for boys. Here he meets up with 'Jackal Boy', otherwise known as Jason, who befriends him in a weird way and turns out to be and informant for the Population Police.

Luke must knock Jason out and get in touch with Mr. Talbot in order to save four boys who have just been turned in for being illegal. Mr. Talbot does not seem as if he is going to help but that is all part of the plan. He comes to the school the next day and Jason's plot is spoiled and he is taken away. Mr. Hendricks and Mr. Talbot decide that Luke is ready to integrate into a different school but Luke has other plans. He convinces them to let him stay and teach the other boys about gardening thier own food and the book ends with a set up for book three, Among the Betrayed.

I am hooked on this series, I've loved it from the first chapter of Among the Hidden. I think that Haddix has spun a great suspense thriller and I can not wait to read the next five. I haven't been able to predict one second of the story, it just keeps me guessing. I like how fast they are to read and how there are so many twists and turns. I don't usually get sucked into series, but this one I love!

Reviews:

Children's Literature

"This is a real page-turner;one that may challenge young readers to look at the odds as they try to make a difference in their own world. "

VOYA

"Although abrupt, the satisfactory ending will have middle and junior high school readers eagerly hoping for the next installment in Luke's thought-provoking story."

9. Appelt, Kathi. Poems from Homeroon, A Writer's Place to Start. Henry Holt and Co., New York. 2002. ISBN 080506978X

Kathi Appelt writes a collection of poetry that range in topic from school dances to tatoos. The title is somewhat midguiding as the poems are not all about school but about amny different issues from the adolescent perspective. The first poem explains her idea of homeroom in the poem by the same title. Appelt says that poetry is home for her, "Make a poem build a home." My favorite part of the book comes in the form of seven acrostic poems. The author takes seven people from popular history and writes an acrostic poem for each of them. The subjects are Jim Morrison, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and River Pheonix. It is amazing that she was able to write this style of poem so beautifully and without seeming basic or elementary.

In the second part of the book entitled 'Study Hall: Writing what We Long For', Appelt explains her writing and thought process for the poems in the first part. She goes through the poems on e by one and descibes what she was thinking, where her inspiration came from and the actual wrtiing process for her. I think that it is interesting and a little revealing that she would share so much of her thoughts. She shares the ideas to help other writers but also because she had enjoyed reading about other authors' processes as well.

Reviews:

School Library Journal
"This is indeed a fine place for a writer to start. It is not about mechanics and the rhythms of poetry. Instead, Appelt covers where ideas, inspiration, and feelings come from and encourages their expression in verse. Her poems are at times sensual, dramatic, or violent, and always rhythmic. They are fascinating, smooth, and "with it."

Kirkus Reviews

"Occasionally, Appelt’s adult sensibility comes through too strongly (in a poem about what a boy takes with him when he leaves home, in which the nostalgia feels like the mother’s; or in a series of elegies for "those we lost too soon": Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain . . . ; but most of her poems will speak directly to her readers, who will also appreciate her suggestions, and her excellent bibliography of adult books on writing."

10. Murphy, Jim. The Great Fire. Scholastic, New York. 1995. ISBN 0590472674.

This book is about the great Chicago Fire of 1871. Murphy tells the story of the tragic fire through the points of view of several people who lived the event. The entire city was basically made of wood which is one major reason that there were so many fires furing this time, with material that so easily burns. It was rumored at the time and even now that a cow knocked over a lantern in the O'Leary's barn which started the fire but that is simply not true. The O'Leary's were already to bed when the fire caught but it was on their property that the fire started. Consequently they were forced to leave Chicago because of all the negative attention and blame. The weather had just been too dry and the winds were devestating to the efforts of the firemen trying to contain the fire.

The firemen were already weary from putting fires out 48 hour prior to the start of the Great Fire. There were just not enough men, to keep this fire from all of the crazy turns that it took. Families were running in the streets trying to make it to safe ground and against wide reports there was a great deal of rioting and looting during the disaster. At the time officials did not want to put a bad image of Chicago in the public's mind because it was a city on the move and they eanted to keep the repuation good for when they rebuilt it. As impossible as it may seem much of Chicago was going to be rebuilt with wood, which was one of the factors that made it burn so easily. If the money to rebuild the city would not have dried up, the buildings would have all gone up much the same way that they did before. However, because there was a break in the reconstuction architects were able to draw plans to use different materials and when the building started again, they used the new plans and materials.

Before reading this book, I did not know very much about the Chicago fire at all. The things that I did know or had heard were largely myths that have been passed down. I am certainly glad that Jim Murphy wrote this book and has set the record straight. This book reads like a novel and is horrifying at times because you know that the story really occured. It is both entertaining and informative, a great read.

Reviews:

Publisher's Weekly

"This volume, beautifully printed in sepia tones, contains historic photos, engravings and newspaper clippings on nearly every page. Especially helpful are maps placed at intervals throughout the book that represent the progress of the fire. Engrossing."

Children's Literature
"The terrible fire of 1871 turned the bustling city of Chicago into one of the country's worst disaster areas, practically overnight. Murphy combines many old, black and white photos, drawings and maps and a detailed text to give us a very thorough picture of the great fire-from it's beginning to it's aftermath-the rebuilding of the city. He successfully interweaves the true survival stories of several real people into his description of the fire's fierce onslaught, which successfully transport readers into the disaster scene. The last chapter dispelling some of the myths and legends that grew up around the disaster is especially interesting. An index and bibliography accompany this engrossing text."