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The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books |
| The Bulletin Dozen is a monthly
theme-based booklist available as an online-only Bulletin
feature. Since we're awfully fond of bakers here at the Bulletin,
we thought we'd adopt their philosophy of generosity and throw in an
extra one or two when we have them to offer--so don't expect an even
dozen. Please feel free to copy, download, or link to these lists. We
ask only that you cite the source. See the archive
for
lists
from previous months.
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S.O.S. A Disastrous Dozen
Perhaps it’s the heartstopping thrill of
considering “what
would I do?” or maybe its just the poignancy of witnessing the
resilience of
the human spirit, but whatever the reason, tragedy has always made for
excellent storytelling. In honor of the 100-year anniversary of the
sinking of the
Titanic, we give you a Dozens that, while certainly filled with
disasters,
offers plenty of compelling tales. |
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Aronson, Marc.
Trapped : How the World Rescued 33 Miners
from 2,000 Feet Below the Chilean Desert. Atheneum, 2011. Gr. 5-9
Noted historian shifts his focus to current events
in this
riveting and comprehensive look at the 2011 Chilean mining disaster
that covers
not only the rescue of the 33 trapped miners but also examines the
geological
factors and shady mining practices that contributed to the crisis. (BCCB 9/11)
Hampton, Wilborn.
September 11, 2001: Attack on New York
City. Candlewick, 2003. Gr. 5-9
Unsensational reporting, crisp black and white
photos, and a
clear timeline mark this poignant account that follows several
individuals as the
events of September 11, 2001, unfold. (BCCB 1/04)
Hopkinson,
Deborah. Titanic: Voices from the Disaster.
Scholastic, 2012. Gr. 5-8
This chronological, straightforward retelling of
the
infamous maritime disaster features period photographs, firsthand
recollections
of survivors, wreckage reports and a plethora of backmatter that make
it the
go-to source for Titanic aficionados.
(BCCB 4/12)
Kops, Deborah.
The Great Molasses Flood: Boston, 1919.
Charlesbridge, 2012. Gr. 4-7
The tale of this sticky disaster initially sounds
like a
joke but Kops’ accessible and gripping account of the flood of molasses
that
swept through northern Boston makes it clear that the tragedy that took
21
lives is no laughing matter. (BCCB 3/12)
Marrin, Albert.
Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire
and Its Legacy. Knopf, 2011. Gr. 6-10
Marrin meticulously reassembles the factors that
led up to
the deadliest day in the New York garment industry, including the
immigrant
wave of the late 1800s and disastrous factory conditions. (BCCB 5/11)
Murphy, Jim. An
American Plague: The True and Terrifying
Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. Clarion, 2003. Gr. 5-10
Murphy's account of a city under devastating siege
is both
gripping and richly informative. (BCCB 6/03)
Neufeld, Josh.
A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge. Pantheon,
2009. (not reviewed)
This brilliantly illustrated follows the lives of
seven New
Orleans residents before, during, and after the 2005 hurricane.
Osborn, Mary
Pope. Pompeii: Lost and Found; frescoes by Bonnie
Christensen. Knopf, 2006. Gr. 3-5
The focus here is mainly on the archeological
finds that
have allowed historians to recreate the environment and culture of the
Roman
city, making this an excellent choice for younger readers. (BCCB 2/06)
Philbrick,
Nathaniel. Revenge of the Whale: The True Story
of the Whaleship Essex. Putnam, 2002. Gr. 8-12
This juvenile version of Philbrick's adult work
loses no
tension or excitement in its factual chronicle of the terrible disaster
of the
nineteenth-century whaling ship, the Essex. (BCCB 11/02)
Walker, Sally M.
Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving
the Mysteries of the H. L. Hunley. Carolrhoda, 2005. Gr. 5-8
A first-rate tale of scholarly sleuthing, this
account of
scientists' reconstruction of a submarine's history goes beyond
well-told
shipwreck narrative to uncover some surprises. (6/05)
Walker, Sally M.
Blizzard of Glass: The Halifax Explosion of
1917. Holt, 2011. Gr. 5-8
The collision of two munitions ships in Halifax
harbor caused an explosion second in force only to the dropping of the
atomic
bomb and devastated the city; Walker includes scientific detail and
moving
first person narrative in her chilling account of the tragedy. (BCCB
11/11)
Wolf, Allan. The
Watch That Ends the Night: Voices from the
Titanic. Candlewick, 2011. Gr 7-10
In his poetic revision of the Titanic disaster,
Wolf draws
from primary and secondary sources to recast the tale through a variety
of
perspectives, including passengers from all classes, an undertaker from
Halifax, a hungry rat, and the iceberg itself. (BCCB 10/11)
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