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namsmommy09's review against another edition
fast-paced
4.0
This series is such an interesting viewpoint of these historical events. I love being able to feel like I was there without actually having been. Especially for those events that I would have not existed to "see". In this book, the main character survives not only the biggest earthquake to have hit Japan, but one of the biggest ever. The way it is described made it feel like I was right there with him. The author does an amazing job of describing it without making it so scary that a middle grade child couldn't read it.
rdyourbookcase's review
4.0
These books are a genius idea - historical fiction that reads like an action movie. Most book series for kids are fairly formulaic. Kids know what they like and that way, authors keep them hooked. In the I Survived series, it starts out with an action packed scene and then flashes back to how it began, a boy gets separated from people important to him, reconnects with them after a traumatic event, and at the end everyone is happy. Unfortunately, sometimes it means adults get bored - even librarians. They feature a diverse group of kids and world events, but... Every single book features a boy as the main character.
Every.
Single.
One.
I’m a girl. I like to read about girls. Girls are historically significant, too. Why why why is a woman author only writing about boys??? Aren’t we, as girls, told enough in history class that women weren’t important? Even if we aren’t directly told, we’re indirectly told, because most of the important people we learned about were old white guys. And some of these historical events are recent. Why couldn’t a girl save her family during the Japanese Tsunami, September 11 attacks, or Hurricane Katrina?
I understand wanting to focus on one particular audience and getting boys to read more, but boys will read about girls if they’re written well. The Hunger Games proved that. The I Survived books are written well. So mix it up and give us some girl main characters!
Every.
Single.
One.
I’m a girl. I like to read about girls. Girls are historically significant, too. Why why why is a woman author only writing about boys??? Aren’t we, as girls, told enough in history class that women weren’t important? Even if we aren’t directly told, we’re indirectly told, because most of the important people we learned about were old white guys. And some of these historical events are recent. Why couldn’t a girl save her family during the Japanese Tsunami, September 11 attacks, or Hurricane Katrina?
I understand wanting to focus on one particular audience and getting boys to read more, but boys will read about girls if they’re written well. The Hunger Games proved that. The I Survived books are written well. So mix it up and give us some girl main characters!
bgprincipessa's review
4.0
These books are legit terrifying? Maybe they seem too remote/"it could never happen to me" to kids, but the contemporary ones scare me a whole lot.
tamunra's review
challenging
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I've always loved disaster movies, and largely like tales of survival. I wouldn't usually pick up a kid's book, but my 8 year old brought this one home. It's exactly what I would have read when I was a kid. And as a 41 year old adult, I remember watching news of the 2011 tsunami and Fukushima disaster with particular horror because I had studied in Japan and still knew people who lived there (although not in Fukushima).
This book was great. It was age appropriate, scary without being overly scary. It shows the main character using ingenuity to survive and to be reunited with his family. It's also factual.
My daughter reads a lot in this series, and I hope they're all this good, because reading what other kids would do in these situations (even if the stories themselves are fictionalized) is very empowering.
This book was great. It was age appropriate, scary without being overly scary. It shows the main character using ingenuity to survive and to be reunited with his family. It's also factual.
My daughter reads a lot in this series, and I hope they're all this good, because reading what other kids would do in these situations (even if the stories themselves are fictionalized) is very empowering.
ttrinityy's review
4.0
im making it to 100 books this year no matter what it takes
and this isn’t really cheating because I AM reading the books.
and this isn’t really cheating because I AM reading the books.
kilbmc's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
joseworksatarbys's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This book is about a boy who survived a tsunami after the first wave it was him and his brother when the first wave hit he saved his brother and the black cat they owned as the second one hit they left the house. my favorite character in this book was the black cat I like every action he did /spoiler when the bot was on a mattress and found the cat running around. I rated this book a 4.75 because of how the ending was.I liked how heartwarming it was.
astronautreader's review
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
catwhisperflubbs's review
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent