I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906

In I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906, ten-year-old Leo works as a newsboy in the bustling city before a massive earthquake transforms his world into chaos. Through collapsing buildings, raging fires, and sheer panic, Leo’s courage and quick wit help him survive. Beautifully balancing fact and fiction, this fast-paced, 88-page narrative brings history to life and encourages readers to empathize with real events. At 610 L Lexile and AR level 3.8 (1 point), it’s a compelling choice for young readers craving adventure with historical depth.

{My thoughts} – Leo is a sweet boy that is living on his own for the most part. There isn’t any mention of his mom that I can remember and his dad passed away. Before his dad had died he’d gotten a gold nugget from him and lots of fun stories about adventures that his grandfather had went on. Leo being a child was intrigued by those stories and enjoyed hearing them as his father had told them to him.

In present day Leo is a newsboy in San Francisco. He makes very little money, but he is okay with that, it’s enough to get by and he isn’t forced to sell his prized gold nugget. One day Leo is on his way to turn in the money for the papers he sells and he gets jumped by the bullies in the area. They shake him upside down and take show more his money and the gold nugget. Leo then has to come up with w plan to get it back.

The night he tries to get it back the Earthquake happens. Leo nearly ends up dead but he manages to survive. It is a scary situation and considering his age, I’d say he handles things better then most adults would have. I like the description within the books as well as the illustrations. They help the reader to clearly visualize what the author is trying to portray.

I look forward to reading the next book in this series very soon. show less

I like when Tarshis gives the characters multiple conflicts to deal with and I feel she balanced the multiple plot lines nicely in this book. My only qualm was a character mentioning that they smelled the gas leaks. Natural gas didn't start getting odorized in the US until around the 1920s and it wasn't widespread until the 1930s (after a school exploded in a natural gas disaster that killed three hundred and injured hundreds more).

A fine historical adventure, but I was less interested in this one than in some of the others I've read. Not sure why.

Although it's listed as #5 in the I Survived series, my son and I read this one first. We liked it quite a bit--very descriptive!

Ten-year-old Leo is a newsboy in San Francisco. He loves to be able to make money and explore the city. But in one minute, it all changes. The Great Earthquake destroys 500 blocks of San Francisco in just one minute. The city crumbles and burns to the ground right before Leo's eyes. Will he survive this terrifying disaster?

Leo is a kid living in San Francisco in 1906. He is a newspaper boy which is something her really like to do and he needs the money. Little did he know that his normal routine would be shaken up with the earthquake of San Francisco.