Earthquake Terror

Bibliographic information: 

Kehret, Peg.  Earthquake Terror.  Harcourt School Publishers, 2001.

Brief plot description:

The Palmer family goes camping every year on Magpie Island.  Their son, Jonathan, is twelve and their daughter, Abby, is six and has to use a walker.  They all go on a hike to the lake one day.  Mrs. Palmer is walking into the water and brakes her ankle.  She needs to get to a doctor soon and since Abby can’t move very quickly, they tell Jonathan and Abby to go back to the camper and wait for them to get back.  After their parents leave, Jonathan and Abby go back to the campground.  On their way back to the camper, a huge earthquake hits.  Trees are falling down all around them.  Abby’s walker gets crushed by a huge tree.  Jonathan gets Abby and their dog Moose and they all take shelter under a fallen tree.  Once the earthquake is over, they continue towards the camper.  Will they make it back and will they see their parents again?

Brief review:

This book is very interesting. Every time I turned the page it seems like something else was happening. It kept me on my toes and rooting for a happy ending. At one point I freaked out because I thought the dog was going to die. I think that fifth through seventh grade tweens would be best for this book. They could read it easily without getting bored. Really, any age would most likely enjoy this book. It also enforces many survival rules and teaches the reader to never give up. There are many good tips to remember from this story that could help you sometime in life. This was very well written and a good read.

Genre label:

Adventure, Modern Fiction

Reading level/interest level:

5^th-7^th grade

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The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Series by Kathryn Lasky

Survival by Gordon Korman