This children's nonfiction account of the great fire that devastated Chicago is a wonderful resource for kids and adults. The retelling focuses on the adventures of four different people involved in different ways with the catastrophe, branching out to give more factual information where appropriate. This structure helps to keep the account personalized, and more interesting, while still imparting all the relevant detail. Side by side with the well-written content are the photographs and illustrations, all of high quality, that really bring to life the events described. I liked this book, which taught me more about a subject I knew only cursorily, and was in a small and easy dose, considering that nonfiction is not an area in which I read extensively. ( )

Kearsten says: Fascinating story of the Great Fire that gutted Chicago in 1871. Using first-hand accounts, Murphy tells the chronology of the fire that claimed many lives and many more buildings, streets...

This is well-written and wonderfully accessible - recommended! ( )

Kearsten says: Fascinating story of the Great Fire that gutted Chicago in 1871. Using first-hand accounts, Murphy tells the chronology of the fire that claimed many lives and many more buildings, streets...

This is well-written and wonderfully accessible - recommended! ( )

Fascinating story of the Great Fire that gutted Chicago in 1871. Using first-hand accounts, Murphy tells the chronology of the fire that claimed many lives and many more buildings, streets...

This is well-written and wonderfully accessible - recommended! ( )

Intermediate
Middle School