Books for Independent Reading
VERY EASY
- If You Lived at the Time of the Great San Francisco Earthquake
- by Ellen Levine
Scholastic 1992 (64p)
The events of April 18, 1906, as seen from a child's perspective.
- Powerful Waves
- by D. M. Souza
Carolrhoda 1992 (48p)
Explains how tidal waves, also called “tsunamis,” are formed.
- Flying Firefighters
- by Gary Hines
Clarion 1993 (32p)
The crew of Copter 517 fight a forest fire from the air.
- Clouds of Terror
- by Catherine A. Welch
Carolrhoda 1994 (56p); also paper
Life in southwestern Minnesota is disrupted by plagues of grasshoppers in the
1870's.
- Emergency!
- by Gail Gibbons
Holiday 1994 (32p)
Describes how emergencies are handled on land and sea and how emergency
professionals are trained.
EASY
- Survive! Could You?
- by Judy Donnelly and Sydelle Kramer
Random 1993 (96p); also paper
How to survive earthquakes, quicksand, tidal waves, and other disasters.
- They Survived Mount St. Helens
- by Megan Stine
Random 1994 (96p); also paper
Eyewitness accounts of the May 18, 1980, volcanic eruption.
- The Story of the Chicago Fire
- by R. Conrad Stein
Childrens 1992 (32p)
Eyewitness accounts of the 1871 Chicago fire and the rebuilding of the city.
- Earthquake! A Story of Old San Francisco
- by Katheen Kudlinski
Viking 1993 (64p)
Philip struggles to save his life and his family's horses.
- The Blizzard of 1896
- by E. J. Bird
Carolrhoda 1990 (72p)
Tall tales about amazing things that happened during this blizzard.
- All About Mountains and Volcanoes
- by Elizabeth Marcus
Troll 1984 (32p)
Well-illustrated, factual information. Available in Spanish asMontañas y
volcanoes.
AVERAGE
- The Disaster of the Hindenburg: The Last Flight of the Greatest Airship Ever Built
- by Shelley Tanaka
Scholastic 1993 (64p)
A fourteen-year-old cabin boy relates the final moments of the Hindenburg.
- Hurricane!
- by Jules Archer
Crestwood 1991 (48p)
How hurricanes develop and the damage they cause.
- Icebergs
- by Jenny Wood
Puffin 1990 (32p)
Basic information on these dangerous formations. Available in Spanish asLos
icebergs.
- Volcanoes
- by Jenny Wood
Puffin 1990(32p)
Information on what causes volcanoes to erupt. Available in Spanish asLos
volcanes.
- The Titanic
- by Deborah Kent
Childrens 1993 (32p)
How the “unsinkable” Titanic sank.
- The Long Winter
- by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Harper 1961 (334p); also paper
After a blizzard Almanzo must try to save the village from starvation.
- The Big Wave
- by Pearl Buck
(Multicultural)
Harper 1973 (80p); also paper
A Japanese boy must face the destrution from a tidal wave.
- Spill! The Story of the Exxon Valdez
- by Terry Carr
Watts 1991 (64p)
An account of one of the most devastating disasters in recent years.
- The Great Flood Mystery
- by Jane Curry
Macmillan 1985 (180p)
Mystery surrounds gold coins lost during the Johnstown flood.
- The Silent Storm
- by Sherry Garland
Harcourt 1993 (252p)
A girl who hasn't spoken since her parents drowned must try to save her grandfather.
- Air Disasters
- by Roger Coote
Thomson 1993 (48p)
Air disasters and what causes them.
- Earthquake at Dawn
- by Christina Gregory
Harcourt 1992 (192p)
A photographer about to travel around the world has her plans changed when an earthquake strikes.
- Tidal Waves and Flooding
- by Jane Walker
Watts 1992 (32p)
Explains the causes of these natural disasters.
- A Disaster!series
- by Christopher Framton
Millbrook 1991-1994 (48-64p)
Individual books focus on natural and manmade catastrophes.
- The Story of the Triangle Factory Fire
- by Zachary Kent
Childrens 1989 (32p)
In March 1911, over a hundred workers perished in this factory fire.
- Children of the Fire
- by Harriette Gillem Robinet
(Multicultural)
Atheneum 1991 (144p)
A former slave girl is a witness to the Chicago Fire of 1871.
- Fires and Floods
- by David Lambert
New Discovery 1992 (48p)
How scientists are trying to minimize the frequency and destruction of these disasters.
- Avalanche!
- by Howard and Margery Facklam
Crestwood 1991 (48p)
What causes these snow slides and how they can be prevented.
- Ships and Shipwrecks
- by Steve Blackman
Watts 1993 (32p)
Details and maps of famous shipwrecks around the world.
- Shipwrecks: Terror and Treasure
- by Kathryn Humphrey
Watts 1991 (64p)
Describes the hunt for the Mary Rose, the Concepcion, and the Titanic.
CHALLENGING
- Buried in Ice: The Mystery of a Lost Arctic Expedition
- by Owen Beattie and John Geiger
Scholastic 1992 (64p)
Unravels the mystery of a lost expedition to find the Northwest Passage.
- Predicting Violent Storms
- by Sally Lee
Watts 1980 (128p)
How weather forecasting devices work.
- Coping with Natural Disasters
- by Caroline Arnold
Walker 1988 (128p)
How communities bounce back from disasters.
- Predicting Earthquakes
- by Gregory Vogt
Watts 1989 (128p)
New techniques and instrumentation for predicting earthquakes.
- The Wreck of the Barque Stefano Off the North West Cape of Australia in 1875
- by Gustave Rathe
Farrar 1992 (144p)
The story of the author's grandfather, who survived the shipwreck.
- Grace
- by Jill Paton Walsh
Farrar 1992 (256p)
True story of a woman whose quiet life is ruined after she rescues shipwreck survivors.
- No Way Out
- by Ivy Ruckman
Harper 1988 (160p); also paper
A flash flood traps a group of hikers in a narrow canyon.
Books for Teachers to Read Aloud
- The Terrible Wave
- by Marden Dahlstedt
R. R. Dahlstedt 1988 (125p); paper
During the Johnstown flood, Megan is swept along in the current on a swiftly sinking mattress.
- The Great Rescue Operation
- by Jean Van Leeuwen
Dial 1982 (176p); Puffin 1990 paper
Mice Marvin, Raymond, and Fats live in Macy's. When Fats wanders off, his friends must rescue him. Available in Spanish asOperacion rescate .
- I Am Lavina Cummings
- by Susan Lowell
Milkweed 1993 (200p)
A year in the life of the author's grandmother, who survived the San Francisco Earthquake.