Project Description

Middle Readers

  • Quake
  • Quake PB
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Excerpt
Teacher’s Guide

Quake!

Disaster in San Francisco, 1906

by Gail Langer Karwoski
illustrated by Robert Papp

A boy and his dog navigate dangerous rubble, prejudices, and survival in this riveting fictional account of the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.

It’s before daybreak in San Francisco on April 18, 1906. Mourning the loss of his mother, thirteen-year-old Jacob Kaufman slips out of the cramped boarding house where he lives with his immigrant father and little sister Rosie. Why couldn’t Papa just let him keep the stray dog—the one thing that has made him happy in months? But he forgets all his frustrations when the ground beneath his feet begins to rumble.

Buildings collapse, and the street splits wide open as Jacob runs for safety from a devastating earthquake. With just his dog, he embarks on a perilous search for shelter, food and water, and  missing loved ones while grappling with his Jewish traditions and fighting prejudices against a new Chinese friend.

In Gail Langer Karwoski’s stirring fictional account of the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, young readers will relive the drama of the actual event and its devastating aftermath. An author’s note carefully separates fact from fiction, giving young readers a glimpse into one of the worst earthquakes in modern history.

Also available from Gail Langer Karwoski:
Seaman: The Dog Who Explored the West with Lewis & Clark
Surviving Jamestown: The Adventures of Young Sam Collier

Awards:

Young Adult Top Forty ―Pennsylvania School Librarians Association
Sunshine State Young Reader’s Award (Nominee, Grades 3-8) ―FAME
Volunteer State Book Awards (Master List, Grades 4-6) ―Tennessee Association of School Librarians
Kansas State Reading Circle Recommended Reading List (Starred, Primary) ―Kansas National Education Association
Massachusetts Children’s Book Award (Master List) ―Salem State College
Nevada Young Readers’ Award, Young Reader Category (Nominee) ―Nevada Library Association
Land of Enchantment Book Awards (Master List) ―New Mexico Library Association, New Mexico Council of IRA
Rhode Island Children’s Book Award (Nominee) ―Rhode Island IRA Chapter, RILA, REIMA
Notable Children’s Books of Jewish Content: The Best of the Bunch (Older Readers) ―Association of Jewish Libraries
Maxwell Medal (Children’s) ―Dog Writers of America

Format: Hardcover
Price: $15.95
ISBN: 978-1-56145-310-8
Publication Date: 4/1/2004
Page Count: 192
Size: 6 ̎ x 9 ̎
Age Range: 8 – 12
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Price: $8.99
ISBN: 978-1-56145-369-6
Publication Date: 3/6/2006
Page Count: 160
Size: 6 ̎ x 9 ̎
Age Range: 8 – 12
Language: English
Format: eBook
ISBN: 978-1-56145-610-9
Age Range: 8 – 12
Language: English

Purchase this eBook through the following vendors:

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
BookShout
eBooks.com
Google
IndieBound
Kobo
Scribd

AR Level: 4.7
F&P: GRL T, Gr 5, Genre HF
Lexile: 770L
Themes: Earthquake, Immigration
BISAC 1: JUV001010 JUVENILE FICTION / Action & Adventure / Survival Stories
BISAC 2: JUV016150 JUVENILE FICTION / Historical / United States / 20th Century
BISAC 3: JUV030060 JUVENILE FICTION / People & Places / United States / General

Reviews

“Karwoski’s research is apparent in the many vivid details of life after the earthquake, but readers will be less concerned with social issues than with the developing stories of the sympathetic characters.” ―Booklist

“Karwoski’s novel conveys very capably the fear, disorientation, and shock of living through a major disaster and coping with the aftermath… Quake! combines disaster and family longing for a sturdily constructed and affecting look at the past.” ―School Library Journal

Awards

Young Adult Top Forty ―Pennsylvania School Librarians Association, 2004

Sunshine State Young Reader’s Award (Nominee, Grades 3-8) ―FAME, 2006-2007

Volunteer State Book Awards (Master List, Grades 4-6) ―Tennessee Association of School Librarians, 2006-2007

Kansas State Reading Circle Recommended Reading List (Starred, Primary) ―Kansas National Education Association, 2005

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Massachusetts Children’s Book Award (Master List) ―Salem State College, 2006-2007

Nevada Young Readers’ Award, Young Reader Category (Nominee) ―Nevada Library Association, 2007

Land of Enchantment Book Awards (Master List) ―New Mexico Library Association, New Mexico Council of IRA, 2007-2008

Rhode Island Children’s Book Award (Nominee) ―Rhode Island IRA Chapter, RILA, REIMA, 2006

Notable Children’s Books of Jewish Content: the Best of the Bunch (Older Readers) ―Association of Jewish Libraries, 2004

Maxwell Medal (Children’s) ―Dog Writers of America, 2004

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Meet the Author

Gail Langer Karwoski taught third- and fourth-grade students for many years. She received a BA from the University of Massachusetts and an MA from the University of Minnesota. She lives in Georgia. You can visit her website here.

Meet the Illustrator

Robert Papp has produced hundreds of award-winning illustrations for books from many different publishers, from romance novels to young adult books. He lives in Pennsylvania, with his wife, Lisa, who is also an artist.