It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Always in the Middle and #IMWAYR day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. It's also Nonfiction Monday.
Tougias, Michael J. Into the Blizzard: Heroism at Sea During the Great Blizzard of 1978 [The Young Readers Adaptation] (True Rescue Series) December 10th 2019 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
There are few things I like saying more than "Back during the blizzard of '77..." because it makes me feel a thousand years old. I also vividly remember a show hosted by Leonard Nimoy called In Search Of that had an episode entitled The Coming Ice Age. How things can change in 40 years! Now, global warming is much more of a threat, but for those of us who can recall having to climb out of a second story window to get out of the house to shovel the front door open (okay, I didn't have to, but my cousin did!), the next ice age seemed much more likely for a while.
I don't remember this incident involving an oil tanker off the coast of Massachusetts, but I do have a small group of readers who like this author's True Rescue Series. I bought A storm too soon : a remarkable true survival story in 80-foot seas, but have to admit that both of these were VERY heavy going for me. There are so many people involved, and so many details about particular events, and I also found them a bit slow, despite the adventurous nature. There are a lot of Young Readers' Editions of adult fiction, and some work better than others. For readers who are really interested in the topic, these are great books, but the earnest adult concentration on the intricacies of the situation might be harder for less sophisticated readers (like me!) to connect to this title. I will purchase this for those who like narrative nonfiction, since it will circulate steadily for a long time.
Plus, any time I hand it to someone, I get to say "Back during the blizzard of '77..."
This sounds like an interesting work of narrative non-fiction. The cover art depicts an accurate picture of the adventure and challenges presented within the pages of the book. Thanks for sharing this book with us for MMGM!
ReplyDeleteI have a young neighbor who is an avid reader of these, so thanks for sharing, Karen.
ReplyDeleteI remember the great blizzard of '78 and everything being shut down. But, it doesn't feel like it was that long ago to me. An interesting adventure for all.
ReplyDeleteNarrative nonfiction sounds interesting -- think I'd prefer a story in fiction.
This sounds like a fascinating story, although it's unfortunate that it's paced a bit too slow. I'm curious to learn more about this blizzard, though—I can hardly imagine regular snow these days! Thanks so much for the review!
ReplyDeleteHaving grown up in Minnesota where I went through an occasional blizzard, this sounds pretty interesting. Thanks for telling me about it.
ReplyDeleteI'm always fascinated by the disaster or survival stories, particularly when they're based on real life incidences. So I'm adding this one to my list. Thanks, Karen! I remember sitting with my great aunt when I was a young teen, reading through her journals/letters written during an especially terrible hurricane. They stayed in their homes and boarded everything up rather than evacuating and by the end they were all sitting up in the rafters of the attic because the water had risen so high. I'm so glad she kept such good notes -- it would be fun to write about her experience some day!
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