On May 31, 1889, heavy rains and a dam failure sent flood waters sweeping into Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The 50-foot-high wall of water quickly demolished much of the town. Will you and your new husband be able to escape certain doom as you wait for your train to leave the station? Can you climb onto your house's roof for safety before the building completely fills with water? Will you join in the effort to save others who are floating by on the roofs of their houses? With dozens of possible choices, it's up to YOU to find a way to survive one of the deadliest disasters in American history.
"These interactive history adventures offer readers three different characters to follow through the disaster, making over a dozen choices to try and survive. Each character is based on actual records of survivors and victims of the original event, and those individuals are identified in the back matter. Illustrations and photos, some of them archival, emphasize the destruction and devastation of the disaster. Suggested reading and websites for further investigation are offered. Other extras include information on how earthquakes or hurricanes are rated, advances in weather forecasting, or the importance of Red Cross relief efforts. Besides the opportunity to explore each of the possible choices within the narrative, there are also a few additional scenarios suggested in "Other Paths to Consider." VERDICT Would work well with a unit on natural disasters or as individual reading for history buffs."
