Provides an account of the yellow fever epidemic that swept through Philadelphia in 1793, discussing the chaos that erupted when people began evacuating in droves, leaving the city without government, goods, or services, and examining efforts by physicians, the Free African Society, and others to cure and care for the sick. Reading Level: 7.1; Accelerated Reader: 9.0
Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine,
1845-1850. Susan Campbell Bartoletti; maps by Jay Evans.
Houghton Mifflin, 2001
Draws from letters, diaries, and other documents to chronicle the Irish
potato famine of 1845-50, describing the political and personal impact
it had on Ireland and its people, and presenting illustrations from contemporary
newspapers. Reading Level: 6.8; Accel. Reader: 8.1
Blizzard!: The Storm That Changed America, by Jim Murphy
Scholastic, 2000
Presents a history, based on personal accounts and newspaper articles,
of the massive show strom that hit the Northeast in 1888, focusing on
the events in New York City. Reading level: 5.9; Accelerated Reader: 7.6
SeaStar Books, 2002
Introduces the facts about volcanoes, what they are, why and how they erupt, different types of volcanoes found around the world, and the effects of some famous eruptions of the twentieth century. Reading Level: 5.6; Accelerated Reader: 4.5
Knopf , Distributed by Random House, 2002
Tells of the heroic deeds of the legendary New York firefighter, Mose Humphreys.
Reading Level: 4.1; Accelerated Reader: 2.8
Fever, 1793, by Laurie Halse Anderson
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2000
In 1793 Philadelphia, sixteen-year-old matilda Cook, separated from her
sick mother, learns about perseverance and self-reliance when she is forced
to cope with the horrors of a yellow fever epidemic. Reading level: 5.4;
Accelerated Reader: 5.0
The Great Fire, by Jim Murphy
Scholastic, 1995
Photographs and Text, along with personal accounts of actual survivors,
tell the story of the great fire of 1871 in Chicago. Reading Level: 6.5;
Accelerated Reader: 7.6
HarperCollins, 2003
Discusses where and how hurricanes are formed, the destruction caused by legendary storms, and the precautions to take when a hurricane strikes. Reading Level: 6.7; Accelerated Reader: 6.2
Radio Rescue, by Lynne Barasch
Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, 2000
In 1923, after learning Morse code and setting up his own amateur radio
station, a twelve-year-old boy sends a message that leads to the rescue
of a family stranded by a hurricane in Florida. Based on experiences of
the author's father. Reading Level: 3.4; Accelerated Reader: 5.1
Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story
of Shackleton and the Endurance, by Jennifer Armstrong. Crown, 2000
c1998
Describes the events of the 1914 Shackleton Antarctic expedition when,
after being trapped in a frozen sea for nine months, their ship, Endurance,
was finally crushed, forcing Shackleton and his men to make a very long
and perilous journey across ice andstormy seas to reach inhabited land.
Reading Level: 6.5; Accelerated Reader: 7.3
