Fall Reading 2015 Nature Attacks! (I Survived True Tales #2)

Lauren Tarshis has assembled a second set of true stories based on her research for the best-selling "I Survived" historical fiction series. These four accounts cover the shark attacks of 1916, the Peshtigo Fire of 1871, The eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815, and a box jellyfish attack in 2009. Each encounter with a deadly facet of nature is centered around a young person and is based on carefully researched facts found in historical records (diaries, interviews, news coverage, etc.). I especially appreciate the way that the author includes extra information at the end of each story. She tells what life was like at that time and what other major events were going on - like the fact that the Peshtigo Fire and the Great Chicago Fire happened on the same date, or that Americans were preoccupied with World War I when the shark attacks occurred. She also includes safety tips for sharks and fires, tells about other dangerous creatures from Australia (besides the box jellyfish), and gives facts about wildfires, smoke jumpers, and volcanoes. If a reader's curiosity has been aroused by the story, she also lists her sources and places to go for additional information in the back matter.

Her books for the series continue to be wildly popular with young readers who generally become interested in learning more about the actual events after reading the fictional accounts. The "I Survived True Tales" books are just as popular and pull in the readers who prefer nonfiction, but enjoy having it told in a narrative style. This book and all the others are highly recommended for school library and classroom collections.

I read en e-book provided by the publisher through edelweiss. 

*We just added this to our library collection through our fall Scholastic Book Fair.