Reviews

Flooded: Requiem for Johnstown by Ann E. Burg

kawarwick's review

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5.0

A beautiful story about a piece of history I knew nothing about.

cedura's review

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4.0

This book written in poetic form gives voice to the past and the dead. The characters who die continue to speak from the grave and it moved me to tears. Ann Burg makes history feel so alive.

kristinakg's review

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emotional informative medium-paced

3.0

pagingmrsvarnum's review

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informative sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

This book is a powerful piece of middle-grade historical fiction written in verse. This was the first of Burg’s books that I’ve read that uses multiple POVs. I did get a little bogged down during the first half of the book trying to keep my narrators straight, but once I let go of that and started focusing on the story, I was able to enjoy the narrative. The author was intentional in her selection of narrators, and I found each portion compelling and inspiring. I have a special place in my librarian’s heart for novels in verse that pair powerful words with poignant form, and this book does exactly that through shapes and text color (though I would also like to enjoy this book in audio form).

This is a middle-grade book, but it deals with grief, greed, and tragedy in a very powerful way. It’s a novel in verse, but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy read. This is a book that could easily be taught and shared with students in elementary, middle, and high schools. Grades 3+


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danyell919's review

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4.0

I read this in almost one sitting. I loved the use of prose to tell the story of the Johnstown disaster. All of the different perspectives brought an extra layer of heartbreak at the end. It was a great book!

the_fabric_of_words's review

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5.0

This is a moving historical fiction novel in verse, so it goes very quickly, told from multiple points-of-view of survivors and victims -- the Little Conemaugh River, kids, young adults just starting out, older people -- captured in a tragic flood that all-but wiped the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania from the map in 1889.

And unlike some verse books, it's only 316 pages, so it reads super-fast and isn't physically intimidating to young readers.

A dam on the river, built so the extremely wealthy of the era -- the Carnegies, etc. -- could summer and frolik in an artificial lake high above the town was not properly maintained and burst after heavy rain.

The book tells the stories of many different characters, giving the reader a glimpse of what life was like in the heavily polluted factory town before the water washed it away.

It also gives a glimpse into how the rich who ultimately were responsible for the deaths of so many were never held accountable in court.

This is an excellent read in verse! Pull up a box of tissues and enjoy.

Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?

Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/

asealey925's review

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emotional informative sad fast-paced

4.5

jengennari's review

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5.0

Burg has done it again -- this time, with multiple voices, in the days before and after a dam gives way and floods the working class community of Johnstown, PA in May 1889. She brings us into the hearts of Gertrude, Willie, and Joe, their lives and hopes, and what is lost. She interweaves themes of class and the American Dream, in a time of great inequality.

Craft note: I also read this as an example of how to tell multiple voice stories, using primary resources and basing the characters on real people. Excellent author's note explaining her plotting decisions.

rox74's review

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3.0

I wanted to like this book more, but I think the format and focus on literary elements distracts readers from the book's topic - the Johnstown flood.  It's a book in free verse, which can be a powerful format, however I don't think it worked well for this topic.  It leaves the reader filling in too many gaps in the story, while also trying to recall and piece together all the characters, each telling their own stories every few verses.  And I was confused by the lettered and numbered 'characters' and thought there'd been a publication error, especially as those pages had lighter text ink.  It wasn't until the end of the book that it was revealed that those characters were the dead, the 'A' standing for adult and 'C' for child, and the number being their age.  Of course, in hindsight it was a clever literary idea, but I think the book focused far too much on the literary form and not enough on the story it was supposed to convey, ultimately leaving readers frustrated and wanting more.

librarianlk's review

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5.0

Having read quite a bit of nonfiction about this tragedy, I sought this book out. I found this to be an excellent exploration of the thoughts, feelings and relationships of survivors and victims haunting and moving. I would recommend this to adults too. When I was a child, I read David McCullough’s book, and decades later, it is still with me. I remembered Gertrude from his book, and in this book she is here too! The author built her characters from real people, did an enormous amount of research, and brought it all together in a beautifully written prose novel.