The past two years sure haven’t been easy for Oscar! First, his beloved Papa was killed in a vicious winter blizzard near their farm in Minnesota and Oscar had to take over as the man in the family for his mama. It was just the two of them to run the farm, but Oscar promised his papa he’d take care of everything. Then his mama met Mr. Morrow, they got married and now they were on their way to Chicago! He might as well be going to the moon! Mr. Morrow seems like a kind man, but too much had been crammed into the last few weeks, and it was all he could do to keep from being sick. Such huge buildings! So many people! And what’s that smell? Mr. Morrow seems to know everyone, and everyone seems to know him. He says Oscar will love his new house, but he’s not sure. About anything.
They’ve no sooner arrived in Chicago than their bags are stolen, and Oscar tries to make it right by following the thieves! He doesn’t have much left from Papa, but it’s all in his suitcase, and those sharpies can’t have it! Little does Oscar know that one of the city’s biggest fires in history has just started. Will he find the thieves and their suitcases? Will he be able to find Mama and Mr. Morrow again, in a burning city that he doesn’t know? There’s plenty of suspense in this brightly illustrated story that teaches about the 1871 Great Chicago Fire. The pages are sharply and crisply drawn, and the frames are arranged in a straightforward predictable way. The pages aren’t text heavy either – the story flows right along, creating tension page after page. Kids will be able to put themselves into Oscar’s shoes and learn what it was like to be a young person in 1871, how a firefighter did his job then, and how transportation worked. (How Oscar doesn’t get run down by a horse in this book, I’ll never know.)
There is a small bit of violence on two pages when Oscar finally catches up to the gang and one tough shows a knife. Nothing explicit is shown in the rush of people to leave the burning areas of the city, but it’s implied. There are 8 pages of further information in the back of the book so kids can learn more about life in 1871 Chicago. The pages help put the events into historical context with sections like “How Chicago Grew”, “Fiery Dangers” and “What Caused the Fire?”. These pages are compassionately written, explaining difficult topics like prejudice and tragedy.
This is recommended for middle readers in grades 5-8 and should appeal to ages 7-12. One does not need to read other titles in the series to read this.
I Survived the Great Chicago Fire (I Survived Graphic Novel #7)
By Lauren Tarshis
Art by Cassie Anderson
Scholastic GRAPHIX, 2023
ISBN: 9781338825152
Publisher Age Rating: 8-12
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11)
