Scan barcode
kobrien1014's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
missmis99's review
5.0
I have always been fascinated with the tragedy at Johnstown. This story was wonderfully written as a way to tell the story of this little-known event that was so tragic. It was beautifully written and perfect for a middle school reader to comprehend. My only feedback was that the switching between the characters became confusing and I really had to pay close attention to who was "talking" and recall their previous section.
kateteaching7and8's review
5.0
@Kidlitexchange
Thank you to @scholasticinc for sharing an advance copy of Flooded: Requiem for Johnstown by Ann E. Burg with the #Kidlitexchange network. This historical fiction novel in verse will be published October 6, 2020. All opinions are my own.
For years the people of Johnstown feared that the dam was weakening and wouldn't hold. They pleaded with the wealthy businessmen who owned the private club at the lake (and thereby the dam) to reinforce it, but their "improvements" to the lake only worsened the dam's condition. Then the rains came and Johnstown was wiped off the map. This novel in verse is based on the true events of May 31, 1889 when the South Fork Dam collapsed. Each of the narrators is based on a real person who lived in Johnstown at the time. The story details the days leading up to the dam breaking, the day it flooded, and the events that occurred in the days, weeks, and years after the flood.
This is a beautifully written book that pulls the reader in. Burg does an excellent job of bringing the characters to life and creating a community. I was able to picture the small town of Johnstown and I connected with each of the narratives and became invested in their lives and stories. Prior to reading this book, I had never heard of the Johnstown Flood. One of the things I enjoyed about this book was the theme of perspective and how it changes from person to person. To start, I had only ever heard of Carnegie and Mellon in positive activities. They were wealthy self-made entrepreneurs who went on to build libraries and donate money. The people of Johnstown though had a very different perspective of these two men. Additionally, the perspective of what money can bring you changed throughout the story for several of the characters. This book is also about the power of humanity and resilience. Though so many were lost in the disaster, the town came together, with help from around the country and world, to rebuild. I very much enjoyed this book and it's lyrical style and will be looking to add a copy to my classroom library.
Thank you to @scholasticinc for sharing an advance copy of Flooded: Requiem for Johnstown by Ann E. Burg with the #Kidlitexchange network. This historical fiction novel in verse will be published October 6, 2020. All opinions are my own.
For years the people of Johnstown feared that the dam was weakening and wouldn't hold. They pleaded with the wealthy businessmen who owned the private club at the lake (and thereby the dam) to reinforce it, but their "improvements" to the lake only worsened the dam's condition. Then the rains came and Johnstown was wiped off the map. This novel in verse is based on the true events of May 31, 1889 when the South Fork Dam collapsed. Each of the narrators is based on a real person who lived in Johnstown at the time. The story details the days leading up to the dam breaking, the day it flooded, and the events that occurred in the days, weeks, and years after the flood.
This is a beautifully written book that pulls the reader in. Burg does an excellent job of bringing the characters to life and creating a community. I was able to picture the small town of Johnstown and I connected with each of the narratives and became invested in their lives and stories. Prior to reading this book, I had never heard of the Johnstown Flood. One of the things I enjoyed about this book was the theme of perspective and how it changes from person to person. To start, I had only ever heard of Carnegie and Mellon in positive activities. They were wealthy self-made entrepreneurs who went on to build libraries and donate money. The people of Johnstown though had a very different perspective of these two men. Additionally, the perspective of what money can bring you changed throughout the story for several of the characters. This book is also about the power of humanity and resilience. Though so many were lost in the disaster, the town came together, with help from around the country and world, to rebuild. I very much enjoyed this book and it's lyrical style and will be looking to add a copy to my classroom library.
engpunk77's review
5.0
There's a lot of context for my experience with this book that I want to capture forever, and I'm using my review to do that. The most important info, for those of you who are parents or teachers wondering if this is appropriate for your kiddos, is right here (you can ignore the rest):
Poetic, poignant historical fiction that will reside alongside [b:Out of the Dust|25346|Out of the Dust|Karen Hesse|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328867076l/25346._SX50_.jpg|808243], [b:Sold|201114|Sold|Patricia McCormick|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442850952l/201114._SY75_.jpg|3231932], [b:The Watch That Ends the Night|10814693|The Watch That Ends the Night|Allan Wolf|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348623921l/10814693._SX50_.jpg|15728340] and [b:A Northern Light|64481|A Northern Light|Jennifer Donnelly|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1376507768l/64481._SY75_.jpg|3337093] in my mental bookshelf of local history favorites/best novels in verse. Recommend to any middle school-aged and older readers who are living in Western PA and to sensitive middle school (and possibly high school) students who love language, poetry, words. Content: Much like Karen Hesse's [b:Witness|26480|Witness|Karen Hesse|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388197786l/26480._SX50_.jpg|2836113], this tragic historic event is brought to life with the voices of several different characters, all with different hopes, dreams, and experiences. You end up loving all of them, so the reader really cares about what happens to the residents of Johnstown. After you get to know them, you suffer with them as the dam breaks, and you wonder about justice, the disparity between rich and poor, the immigrant experience and the American Dream, and the effects of man's progress on the environment. It may be a bit much for younger readers thematically, and the language is rich and sophisticated. While reading aloud, I had to fight down the lump in my throat or wait until my tears dried before carrying on. It's absolutely great material for a reading group/book club or parent/child shared reading experience.
Now for the personal stuff.
My husband grew up 45 minutes from Johnstown, PA, and we were there a few times for events. While we never had time to go to the flood museum, I always wanted to hear more and more about it and tried to picture the tragic event in my mind as we drove around. When our middle school library received this title, I knew I had to read it immediately. I imagined myself talking about it with my husband, since it's a topic he'd actually care about.
This weekend, he was unwell and unable to leave the bed. I suggested that I read to him, almost in jest, as he's not AT ALL a reader and sees no use for books, especially fiction. He agreed, which was the first miracle, and I sat in bed with him for hours and hours this weekend reading aloud, pausing and discussing and wondering. It's funny, because he said, "I don't like how you stop reading and talk." This is why we can't watch movies together, either. I told him that I'm just not capable of plowing through, especially with all of these perspectives/voices to keep track of. I asked him to choose for me to read aloud with long pauses of silence while I figure things out in my head, or have me vocalize my thoughts. Either way, I have to process. He chose to allow me to be vocal with my connections, wonderings, inferences, predictions, etc. and he jumped right in with me. He loved it. I mean, he kept asking me to start again after breaks and when we finished, he said, "Four stars!" ::swoon:: [a:Cris Tovani|22403|Cris Tovani|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1563445334p2/22403.jpg] and [a:Stephanie Harvey|55145|Stephanie Harvey|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], I think it's clear why my husband has been a non-reader his entire life. Some strategies just work.
This book is excellent in general, and I'll never forget it for the experience it provided in my life.
Poetic, poignant historical fiction that will reside alongside [b:Out of the Dust|25346|Out of the Dust|Karen Hesse|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328867076l/25346._SX50_.jpg|808243], [b:Sold|201114|Sold|Patricia McCormick|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442850952l/201114._SY75_.jpg|3231932], [b:The Watch That Ends the Night|10814693|The Watch That Ends the Night|Allan Wolf|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348623921l/10814693._SX50_.jpg|15728340] and [b:A Northern Light|64481|A Northern Light|Jennifer Donnelly|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1376507768l/64481._SY75_.jpg|3337093] in my mental bookshelf of local history favorites/best novels in verse. Recommend to any middle school-aged and older readers who are living in Western PA and to sensitive middle school (and possibly high school) students who love language, poetry, words. Content: Much like Karen Hesse's [b:Witness|26480|Witness|Karen Hesse|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388197786l/26480._SX50_.jpg|2836113], this tragic historic event is brought to life with the voices of several different characters, all with different hopes, dreams, and experiences. You end up loving all of them, so the reader really cares about what happens to the residents of Johnstown. After you get to know them, you suffer with them as the dam breaks, and you wonder about justice, the disparity between rich and poor, the immigrant experience and the American Dream, and the effects of man's progress on the environment. It may be a bit much for younger readers thematically, and the language is rich and sophisticated. While reading aloud, I had to fight down the lump in my throat or wait until my tears dried before carrying on. It's absolutely great material for a reading group/book club or parent/child shared reading experience.
Now for the personal stuff.
My husband grew up 45 minutes from Johnstown, PA, and we were there a few times for events. While we never had time to go to the flood museum, I always wanted to hear more and more about it and tried to picture the tragic event in my mind as we drove around. When our middle school library received this title, I knew I had to read it immediately. I imagined myself talking about it with my husband, since it's a topic he'd actually care about.
This weekend, he was unwell and unable to leave the bed. I suggested that I read to him, almost in jest, as he's not AT ALL a reader and sees no use for books, especially fiction. He agreed, which was the first miracle, and I sat in bed with him for hours and hours this weekend reading aloud, pausing and discussing and wondering. It's funny, because he said, "I don't like how you stop reading and talk." This is why we can't watch movies together, either. I told him that I'm just not capable of plowing through, especially with all of these perspectives/voices to keep track of. I asked him to choose for me to read aloud with long pauses of silence while I figure things out in my head, or have me vocalize my thoughts. Either way, I have to process. He chose to allow me to be vocal with my connections, wonderings, inferences, predictions, etc. and he jumped right in with me. He loved it. I mean, he kept asking me to start again after breaks and when we finished, he said, "Four stars!" ::swoon:: [a:Cris Tovani|22403|Cris Tovani|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1563445334p2/22403.jpg] and [a:Stephanie Harvey|55145|Stephanie Harvey|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], I think it's clear why my husband has been a non-reader his entire life. Some strategies just work.
This book is excellent in general, and I'll never forget it for the experience it provided in my life.
alexxthelibrarian's review
3.0
As a child, I went to Johnstown on a school trip and first learned of this disaster and have been intrigued about it since. A great novel in verse bringing light to a often unknown/forgotten tragedy.
naturalistnatalie's review
4.0
It’s interesting to read a book and know what’s going to happen. I spent the first half of the book, when we’re introduced to all the characters, just waiting for the dam to fail. I was also wondering how many of the introduced townsfolk would die. The answer was many. (This is definitely a YA book and not MG.) Burg even has a whole section of ghosts talking about how they died. I had to pause for a bit in that section because all the senseless death was a bit overwhelming. Burg captured the feeling of survivor’s guilt as well.
I was surprised to see Clara Burton show up in the book. It was heartbreaking to see that the rich members of the private club were never held responsible for their actions that lead to the dam failure. Not surprising, but still disappointing. Burg was able to convey a lot of emotional content in her short poems. The reader got little snippets of the hard lives of the young people in the town. On top of their regular difficulties, you throw in a flood and it’s obvious the working class members of Johnstown had difficult lives. It is not a happy read, but still a great introduction to an American disaster.
I was surprised to see Clara Burton show up in the book. It was heartbreaking to see that the rich members of the private club were never held responsible for their actions that lead to the dam failure. Not surprising, but still disappointing. Burg was able to convey a lot of emotional content in her short poems. The reader got little snippets of the hard lives of the young people in the town. On top of their regular difficulties, you throw in a flood and it’s obvious the working class members of Johnstown had difficult lives. It is not a happy read, but still a great introduction to an American disaster.
librarianaaryn's review
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
library_lady's review
4.0
I love Ann E Burg's work, and this novel in verse brings attention to a little known event (at least to me and my students) of the flooding in Johnstown that resulted in the death of so many of its residents. I read a similar book about Johnstown (also a novel in verse) several years ago which piqued my curiosity and led me to some online investigating about this tragedy. This is a fast read, informative and well written. The only thing some readers may struggle with is the number of characters they will try to keep track of.
More...