Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie Kingsley
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Riveting, emotional historical fiction for young readers.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 7+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 10 parent reviews
Based on 9 kid reviews
Kids say this series is a captivating blend of historical fiction and educational content, offering insights into various disasters while maintaining a kid-friendly approach. However, some readers find the themes can be too intense or traumatic for younger audiences, particularly due to the depiction of violent events and emotional hardships.
- informative
- engaging
- intense themes
- age suitability
- educational content
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
The I SURVIVED series follows children navigating some of the most memorable disasters of our time. From the eruption of Pompeii and the sinking of the Titanic, to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Joplin, Missouri, tornado, this series describes the sights, smells, and sentiments of life before, during, and after each chaotic moment. The kids take cover in a ditch to avoid burning wind from the Mount St. Helens volcanic eruption, or help orphans escape the Chicago fire, or watch Titanic sink in the freezing ocean. Readers are dropped into the lives of kids their own age, into disasters they've likely never faced.
Is It Any Good?
Since we already know that each of these disasters is, well, a disaster, the beauty of these books is in the enthralling storytelling. The I Survived series is about epic disasters, but it also tells the human stories that are glossed over in history books. Many of the kids in the stories have recently lost a parent, adding another emotional layer to the terror they face navigating the 1871 Chicago fire, or the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. These stories are fast-paced, tense, full of accurate historical details, and show kids' bravery and resilience.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about disaster preparedness. While some of the disasters in the I Survived series aren't likely to happen to most readers (the Titanic sinking, for example), knowing what to do in case of a fire, earthquake, or tornado is an important family conversation.
What must it have been like to try to get away from these disasters? Are there any cases where it's better to stay put?
What other books have you read or heard of that are set in disaster zones?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Scott Dawson
- Genre : Historical Fiction
- Topics : Adventures , Friendship , History , STEM
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Scholastic
- Publication date : June 1, 2010
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 7 - 10
- Number of pages : 112
- Available on : Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 15, 2025
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