Review: I Survived: The Children's Blizzard, 1888

One of my students recommended the “I Survived” series because the stories are fast-paced and can generally be read in one sitting. The student added that the history in the stories is interesting in a way that textbooks aren’t. I would agree with all of that.

At the student’s recommendation, I started with “The Children’s Blizzard, 1888.” The story focuses on a particularly scary weather event where a massive blizzard arrived on the Dakota plains seemingly out of nowhere. People were caught by surprise because the day had dawned clear and warm. Hundreds perished.

Author Lauren Tarshis does a great job setting the scene by showing the reader life on the plains and the particulars of the winter of 1887-88. She introduces the blizzard, appropriately, as our main characters are playing in front of their one-room schoolhouse. The action is focused as John and his friends struggle to survive the night in an unexpected place. I appreciated that the characters did not survive unscathed by the event.

The back of the book contains more historical information about the Children’s Blizzard as well as a Q&A with the author and a suggested reading list.

This series could be a great way to get middle grade readers (and even older students) interested in history.