Survival! Earthquake
Grade 5-8?Brendan O'Connor, a young delivery driver, and Dai Yue, a 13-year-old Chinese girl who lives with her uncle, meet during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Brendan is preoccupied with his daily tasks and Dai Yue is worried about her prearranged marriage to an older man. As she steps in front of Brendan's wagon, a great roar comes from the earth, and the city is thrown into chaos. Both young people survive, but numerous obstacles make life a challenge. Facing huge cultural differences, a natural disaster, and the anger of Dai Yue's uncle, the two manage to stay together during the troubled times. While parts of the plot are implausible, the book appears to be well researched, with interesting descriptions of businesses, buildings, differing perspectives of cultures, and likable characters. An adequate addition to historical fiction collections.?Mary M. Hopf, Los Angeles Public LibraryCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.