Earthquake based stories have a special significance for
California readers, as do depictions of firestorms. With The Earth Dragon
Awakes ; The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, Laurence Yep takes us to the torn and burning wreckage
of San Francisco, April 17-29, 1906. The fiction portion of this stark
historical concerns an affluent banker’s family and the family of their Chinese
houseboy. The sons of these two families (ages 8 and 9) have become good
friends, sharing dreams of heroes, and dime store novels about them. Separated
by the great quake, hoards of urban refugees, and Chinese segregation policies,
we watch the boys’ families in alternating chapters as they struggle to survive
and re-unite despite the panic, the aftershocks, and the great fire that leveled
San Francisco. The historical portion is well researched and presented in
lively, gritty detail. While The Earth Dragon Awakes makes an
exciting solo read, it may also make an excellent shared
read-aloud.
Reading level: 4; Age: 8-12
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