The Day It Rained Forever: A Story of the Johnstown Flood (Once Upon America) [Paperback]

Virginia T. Gross (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Once Upon America

When a cheaply constructed dam above Johnstown bursts under the onslaught of torrential rains, Christina and her family struggle to escape the floodwater which bears down upon their town.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5-- A historical novel about the bursting of a poorly constructed dam and subsequent flooding of Johnstown, PA, in 1898, as experienced by a fictional child and her family. The rains begin shortly after the death of 11-year-old Christina's infant sister, with preparations meanwhile under way for an uncle's wedding. Although it rains for an extended period, the family feels relatively safe from high water on their farm. They do, however, worry about Mama, who is involved in wedding plans in Johnstown when the dam gives way. She is swept by the flood into the branches of a tree, where a wooden tub containing a newborn baby also becomes lodged. Both are rescued and returned to the farm, and the family keeps the unclaimed infant. Much weakened by contrivances and coincidences, this story is uninvolving. The statement, "The millionaires who formed the South Fork Hunting and Fishing Club took shortcuts to save money," as an explanation for the shoddy construction leaves readers wishing for solid background information. The mixture of fact and fiction muddies the waters, raising but not answering questions about the historical event and its aftermath.
- Susan Patron, Los Angeles Public Library, CA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

In one of the better entries in the ``Once Upon America'' series, young Christina and her family are among the survivors of the disastrous 1889 flood that occurred when an inadequate dam, built to provide fishing for the millionaire members of a local club, loosed a 70-foot wall of water on the mill town of 12,000 people. Christina's home is safely out of the flood's path, but her older brother is among those trying to warn others of the danger, while her mother--visiting Uncle Herbert's fianc‚e, Lenora--is caught in the swirling waters and survives after a harrowing adventure in which she saves an unidentified newborn; Lenora and Herbert are both lost. The story closes with the poignant acceptance of baby Hope by Christina, who has feared that her mother imagines that Hope replaces Christina's beloved baby sister Eva, who has recently died. Gross deftly sketches a believable cast and neatly interweaves the flood's events, issues surrounding it, and their private tragedies. Fine beginning historical fiction. Illustrations not seen. (Fiction. 8-12) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (July 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140345671
• ISBN-13: 978-0140345674
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 4.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,602,440 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A child's view of the Johnstown Flood & aftermath FOR KIDS!, October 21, 2002

By 

Kirk Groeneveld "Star Trek, Sci Fi and Harry ... (Athens, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Day It Rained Forever: A Story of the Johnstown Flood (Once Upon America) (Paperback)

This is a gentle, grade school book, written for young readers...NOT a text research book. As such, it must be viewed in a special light: will it scare the reader, is it clear, is there a moral, is it factual? The answer may be yest to all the above, except, it need not frighten the reader.

The one chapter that describes the floodwaters and the vanishing of a family member is done by following the mother of the clan, and seeing that she survives AND saves another young innocent life along the way.

Yes, facts and figures are put into the mouths of visiting neighbors, who fill in the historical perspective of Why the dam broke and what was or wasn't done to prevent the tragedy, but the reader is not hit over the head with it. These are woven into the story as the rain clouds gather.

Of seven chapters, at least the first four lead up to the break, throwing in pictures of rural life, chores, age or innocence vs. working age, male/female gender roles, and the presence of death and illness in the family before the flood occurs.
The last three deal with the aftermath, the psychological impact of the massive loss, and the hope of a new life joining the family. The book ends on a positive, hopeful note, by having the main character resolve her unhappy feelings and welcome the new family member. A second member is depressed with having to help with the massive cleanup, and he delivers the depressing numbers and tale of the fires and drownings. So, the death is off camera, but it's impact is felt by the brother...NOT the main character, Christina.

As an introductory history book, it is right for begining readers, but if you are familiar with the story or looking for a scholarly documentation, this is not the one for you..instead, try The Johnstown Flood...part of the reforms and improvements series by Gallagher & company.

But, for the price, and what it is, this book services its YOUNG audience well.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Slow and Predictable., October 23, 2005

By 

Apache Wind "Bookaholic" (Somewhere Over The Rainbow) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Day It Rained Forever: A Story of the Johnstown Flood (Once Upon America) (Paperback)

Fortunately I knew what I was getting into when I purchased this book, seeing that it IS a childrens copy.
However, in all due fairness there are some childrens books that read just as well, if not better, then some adult books out there, and usually that is what I get when I buy childrens novels, something really good.
This time, UN-fortunately, that was NOT the case.
This book starts out very [and I do mean V-E-R-Y] predictable, to the point that I was even guessing what the characters were going to say, as well as do or respond in the following sentences.
I could even guess[correctly]what the next action or sequence of actions were going to be, which made for a very dull and boring read, but fortunately it was not long and I read it in about 30 minutes.
So if you are buying this for your children, stick with the >8 and under< age group, or you will [and them too] find yourself disappointed.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What was the point, August 21, 2009

By 

Mrs. Mears (Monroeville, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Day It Rained Forever: A Story of the Johnstown Flood (Once Upon America) (Paperback)

I picked up this book for my daughter because we are not far from Johnstown and wanted to learn more about this time in history. It was an easy read. It gave insight into family life at that point in time. But what I objected to is the blaming of 'those millionaires from Pittsburgh' for shaving off the top of the damn. There is another reference to "It's all the fault of the greedy rich". What was the point of blaming the rich? If the people at the time saw some objectionable practices, like lowering the height of the damn or the removing of the drainage pipes, why did they not speak up? Nothing like a broad generalization to start the wealth envy in the young. I would not recommend this book.