From School Library Journal
Gr 3-6--The need for information about recent events such as the January 1994 Los Angeles earthquake does not justify the tabloidization of tragedy exemplified in this book. The opening black-and-white photo of rifle-bearing National Guard troops on Hollywood Boulevard establishes the title's sensationalist approach. The narrative is in the form of fictional observers' accounts of what happened; while this vehicle lends immediacy to the text, it also creates a forced, artificial tone. In addition, the facts are inaccurately reported. One Richter Scale chart rounds out the 6.7 Northridge earthquake to a 7.0 and compares it to other devastating quakes. Since each tenth of a point represents a significant difference in the energy released, the credibility of all facts reported is undermined. Also, while Smith terms this the ``Martin Luther King Day Quake,'' it is commonly called the Northridge or January 17th quake. Most significantly, the author places the epicenter very specifically on Balboa Boulevard in Granada Hills, while all published reports in Los Angeles place it in Reseda, some miles southwest of Granada Hills. Children are poorly served by this shoddy offering.
Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright 1995 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
