I Survived the Wellington Avalanche, 1910. (I Survived #22) Lauren Tarshis. 2022. 144 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: RRRRRRRRooooooar! The earsplitting explosion shook the ground. Eleven year old Janie Pryor swung her head around and stared in horror. The mountain above her seemed to have shattered apart. A massive wave of icy snow was crashing down. An avalanche! For the past six days, Janie had been stuck in this stormy wilderness.
Premise/plot: Janie Pryor is the "I" in Lauren Tarshis' newest I Survived historical novel. The event is an avalanche that led to a disastrous tragedy.
If you've read one I Survived novel, you've got a fairly good idea on what to expect in this latest installment.
My thoughts: I don't always appreciate the drama of the I Survived books, but, this one I must admit had me at the edge of my seat from start to finish. This event, I'm guessing, is NOT well known with the intended audience. (Unlike say the Titanic, Hurricane Katrina, or 9/11.) Perhaps it is not even well known with older readers--adults. If history classes covered events like this one, would history classes be better appreciated???? Perhaps. (But I digress.)
The story is compelling. Not just the natural disaster aspect--which is inevitably intense--but the personal drama as well. I would explain what led Janie to being on the train in the first place, but, I don't want to have spoilers in this review. Usually the secondary side stories are a bit silly, at least in my opinion, but I didn't find that so in this newest book.
Definitely recommend this one.
© 2022 Becky Laney of Young Readers
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