Funny story. Even though I have seen this series around for years (it was first published around 2009), it was placed next to the “Choose your own adventure” series and like an idiot, I judged it by the cover and thought it was another one of thsoe with cooler covers.

Fast forward to last month, I was busy shelving it at the library and I actually looked at the summaries. Since this is my year of reading historical fiction, I decided to go through the series.

To sum up, it’s a very action-packed series as one can imagine as it focuses on various historical disasters, man-made and natural. As such, Tarshis has steadily evolved into a great writer in describing the physical pain, landscape in turmoil and heart pounding fear of death. I mean, she was good but as the series goes on, she really amps up the edge of your seat, heart pounding adreneline of the moment.

The series is formulaic as expected for lower schoolers, each chapter starting with the moment of near death and the rest of the story showing the days leading up to the moment, and the aftermath. Usually the protagonists are boys since Tarshis said she was inspired to write the series to get her sons into reading, but she has since added some female protagonists too. Most are orphans or at least, missing one parent even in the modern day ones.

It delves into typical coming of age stories like dealing with grief, climate change, prejudice, and what it means to have courage and/or duty to family, but each are tailored to the characters and the situation, feeling like the stories are plot first rather than trying to use them as tools to convey the message.

While the series deals with some of the big historical events that people know (Pearl Harbor, Revolutionary War, Civil War, WW2, has yet to do WW1, 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, Chicago Fire, California Wildfires), I most enjoy the books that deal with disasters I never heard of it.

Examples include he Joplin hurricanes (which is weird cuz I was alive but I guess I didn’t pay attention to the news), or the grizzy attacks in the 60s or the Molasses Flood. I knew the last one but I always find it bonkers to imagine that a tsunami of molasses drowned people in the middle of 1919 Boston.

Plus the historical note afterwards has taught me a lot about these events not only led to improved technologies, and expansion of knowledge but other real world effects-The molasses flood affected corporation regulations and was the first time a corporation had to pay victims for their reckless endangerment, how the Wellington Avalanche led to better railway construction, and other Galvestone Hurricane led to changes in coastline construction and protection, and so on.

Also I finally learned what the Hindenberg Disaster was. I mean I could have looked it up, but not got around to it. Now I know why people say “Oh, the humanity!” and why planes are preferred over zepplin travel.

So cool series, check it out.