Customer Reviews

Into the Firestorm: A Novel of San Francisco, 1906

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It is hard to imagine a story about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake being anything but riveting. Deborah Hopkinson's thorough research led her to build her novel around Nicholas Dray, a true life runaway from the county farm, befriended by a merchant a few days before the 1906 earthquake and devastating firestorm.

The author's story closely follows archived history and is
exciting for all ages to read. Class units will take students on many useful tangents, with teaching tools available via www.randomhouse.com/teachers. It may generate some discussion about emergency preparedness also.

Earthquakes are of universal interest and "Into the Firestorm" cannot be categorized as 'just' a boys' book - - even though teachers & librarians, frustrated at jump-starting "reluctant readers" will rejoice to recommend it to students. Hopkinson keeps the level of excitement high, and Nick's reactions believable. Deserted by his father, his emotional needs centered on his grandmother, and later in San Francisco on his Chinese-American friend Tommy, his employer/mentor Mr. Pat AND the dog who also was part of the true story of those ghastly fires.

Hopkinson deftly adds cotton-picking in Texas, and a fascination with the art of writing; reviewer mcHAIKU appreciates the quality these add to this story of a time when "stick-to-itiveness" was okay, and fortitude & grit added up to honest-to-goodness values. And for all readers, a five star reward.

Deborah Hopkinson's Into the Firestorm: A Novel of San Francisco, 1906 (and the title really does help-- I won't have teacher questioning whether or not it is historical!) was great. Several good things going for it-- the title, the cover, and the first couple of lines:
"Hey, kid. Get back here and empty your pockets."
Nicholas Dray whirled to see a burly policeman pointing a black club right at him. He froze in astonishment. This should not be happening.

Yes! This will make a child pick up the book! There is some discussion of how Nick got to San Francisco, having run away from the cotton fields after his grandmother died, but it's done in flashbacks that are interspersed with the excitement of San Francisco. Have several students in mind for this and can't wait to get a copy! This author also did Shutting Out the Sky:Life in the Tenements of New York which I liked. I'll have to check for others!

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This was a very good book overall but falls a little short of the mark of greatness. I could almost give it 4 1/2 stars because the integration of historical fact was so well done. The character of little Annie was given dialog and thought patterns that were simply too old for her eight years. It wasn't obnoxious, but not true to the age and sex of the child, even for a mature one. The character of her mother was not sketched, although her physical appearance was. She had enough of a presence in the book that her persona should have been put forth. I really enjoyed the quirkiness and good-natured humor of Mr. Pat

All that said, it was a good read, and my 11 year old daughter loved it. The historical backdrop was very well done and cleverly used, although one was a little hard-put to feel the emotional trauma that a 12-13 year old boy must have gone through in this situation.

Into the Firestorm is the perfect book for boy readers, with an engaging hero, a dog, and lots of action. But we sometimes forget that girls like these kinds of stories as well. When I was young, I loved reading every kind of adventure, from mountain exploits to historical fiction sagas to war stories. Hopkinson's talent for research is revealed in small details here, and, as in her Klondike Kid and Prairie Skies series books, she also keeps the pace fresh. I loved Pat Patterson and the stationer's shop, and little Annie Sheridan. And Shake, of course! A winner from one of our most versatile writers for young people.