{"product_id":"the-danger-files-reallife-disasters-isbn-9781536213416","title":"The Danger Files: Real-Life Disasters","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom the \u003ci\u003eTitanic \u003c\/i\u003eto the Boston molasses flood, investigate five famous historical disasters just like a real reporter—through facts, eyewitnesses, and clues—with Emmy-winning journalist Anna Crowley Redding.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDelve deeper into some of the most dramatic disasters in history! Using case files full of firsthand accounts, critical facts, do-at-home experiments, and clues, readers can become disaster detectives and determine for themselves what happened and why. Take on the sinking of the \u003ci\u003eTitanic\u003c\/i\u003e, the crash of the \u003ci\u003eHindenburg\u003c\/i\u003e, the Great Influenza epidemic of 1918, the Boston molasses flood, and the fire that decimated the city of Chicago. A “Your Mission!” introduction gets readers actively involved, and an inviting layout that evokes the feel of a working case file, complete with paperclipped notes and important pictures, keeps them eager for the next clue. Author Anna Crowley Redding brings her extensive journalism background to this engrossing dive into history, and Robbie Cathro’s active illustrations bring the scenes—and the real people involved—to life. Back matter includes extensive source notes and a bibliography for young journalists who want to get an even bigger scoop.Fact-file inserts and eyewitness accounts help readers understand the causes, courses, and aftermaths of five historical calamities. . . the blow-by-blow narratives make for absorbing reading, and the substantial bibliography at the end should please even the most demanding young documentarians. . . . Catastrophically engrossing.\u003cbr\u003e—Kirkus Reviews\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDisasters are a perpetual source of curiosity for kids, and this book from the Danger Files series offers fresh ways of learning the facts, identifying the causes, and realizing the impacts of five historic catastrophes. . . . This is sure to be popular with researchers, browsers, and catastrophe-minded leisure readers.\u003cbr\u003e—Booklist\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis hits all the right notes of an informative middle grade read with an engrossing subject, intelligently designed organization, and a welcoming tone, making it an easy sell to readers who still can’t get enough of the \u003ci\u003eI Survived \u003c\/i\u003ebooks.\u003cbr\u003e—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDisasters are a perpetual source of curiosity for kids, and this book from the Danger Files series offers fresh ways of learning. . . .This is sure to be popular with researchers, browsers, and catastrophe-minded leisure readers.\u003cbr\u003e—Booklist\u003cb\u003eAnna Crowley Redding\u003c\/b\u003e is an Emmy Award–winning investigative television reporter, anchor, and journalist who has turned her considerable talent to children’s books. She is the author of several young adult nonfiction titles, including \u003ci\u003eBlack Hole Chasers: The Amazing True Story of an Astronomical Breakthrough \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eRescuing the Declaration of Independence: How We Almost Lost the Words That Built America\u003c\/i\u003e, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham. Anna Crowley Redding lives with her family in Maine.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRobbie Cathro \u003c\/b\u003eis an illustrator and storyteller who loves to make fun, colorful, and charismatic books. He studied at the University of the West of England and is the illustrator of \u003ci\u003eBe Your Own Man\u003c\/i\u003e by Jessica Sanders and \u003ci\u003eTwo Grooms on a Cake\u003c\/i\u003e by Rob Sanders. Robbie Cathro lives in Bristol, England.\u003cb\u003eYour Mission!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDisasters, mysteries, disappearances, narrow escapes, and tales of survival. Experience some of the world’s biggest catastrophes like never before. In this book, you get to play disaster detective!\u003cbr\u003eYou have access to the Danger Files, full of critical details about each event. You can dig through eyewitness accounts and fact files, conduct experiments, and follow the clues. Can you predict disaster before it happens? Can you figure out what is going wrong and why? Put your detective hat on—your investigation starts now!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eChapter 1: The Great Chicago Fire\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFACT FILE:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003eChicago, Illinois\u003c\/u\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003eFounded\u003c\/u\u003e: 1833\u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003ePopulation in 1871\u003c\/u\u003e: 300,000 (fourth largest US city)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003eNickname\u003c\/u\u003e: The Gem of the Prairie\u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003eLocation\u003c\/u\u003e: Shores of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChicago, Illinois \u003cbr\u003eOctober 1—8, 1871\u003cbr\u003eChicago’s firefighters were exhausted. Fire after fire. Grueling day after grueling day. They fought thick smoke and hot flames until their lungs ached with every tired, smoke-filled breath. There was no time to rest, as the alarm bell rang out nearly every hour with yet another blaze.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eFire needs three things to burn: fuel, heat, and oxygen. Fuel can be a liquid, a solid, or a gas. Examples include: wood, natural gas, coal, hay, paper, and much more. Types of heat: warm weather, sunlight, electricity, sparks, and friction. Oxygen: it’s in the air all around us. In this case, Chicago had it all: plenty of fuel, warm weather, and strong, steady winds. The danger of fire was very high.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEverything was impossibly dry. It hadn’t rained in months. And the long searing summer dragged on––into a hot autumn. Even the constantly blowing wind was warm. Chicago was normally muddy, wet, and much cooler in October. But now even creek beds evaporated into dusty ribbons of sand. The city’s wooden buildings baked in the warm weather.\u003cbr\u003eThe firefighters were exhausted, but they had no idea that the fiercest fire of all was yet to come.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e Chicago’s usually muddy terrain made it a difficult city to get around in. That’s why the city built 600 miles (966 kilometers) of raised wooden sidewalks and 55 miles (86 kilometers) of streets constructed out of pine planks.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSunday, October 8, 1871\u003cbr\u003e7:00 p.m.\u003cbr\u003eEYEWITNESS:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003eName\u003c\/u\u003e: Robert A. Williams\u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003eBorn\u003c\/u\u003e: June 25, 1827\u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003eAge\u003c\/u\u003e: 44 \u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003eJob\u003c\/u\u003e: Chief fire marshal, City of Chicago\u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003eUniform\u003c\/u\u003e: Leather helmet; leather boots; coat, pants, and blazer made from thick wool, \u003cbr\u003ewhich is fire-resistant\u003cbr\u003eFire Chief Robert Williams was dead tired after sixteen hours of battling a fire at one of the city’s lumber mills. The raging fire turned four city blocks into ruins. Finally, it was out and the chief could go home to get some sleep. Wearily, he hoisted one leg and then another into a horse-drawn wagon that would take him home.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe fire chief and his crew were worn out. Fatigue can make it a lot harder to carry out the strenuous tasks required to fight a fire. It also decreases a person’s ability to make good decisions.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“We are going to have a burn,” the worried chief said to his driver. “I feel it in my bones.”\u003cbr\u003eEven though he was worried about the night ahead, this was Chief Williams’s chance to rest. Sinking into the mattress, he closed his reddened eyes and fell asleep.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFACT FILE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003eThe O’Leary Residence\u003c\/u\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003eAddress\u003c\/u\u003e: 137 De Koven Street\u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003eDescription\u003c\/u\u003e: Wooden house with separate barn\u003cbr\u003e8:15 p.m.\u003cbr\u003eIn a Chicago neighborhood filled with Irish immigrants, Catherine O’Leary was settling in for the night. The cows had been milked, and the horse had been fed with a fresh supply of hay. Catherine and her husband, Patrick, tucked their five children into bed.\u003cbr\u003eThey had a lot to be thankful for. They had moved to the United States from Ireland for a better life. And things were going well. Not only did they own their house, it was also big enough to have a renter. In addition to rental money, Catherine sold the cows’ milk and delivered it to her customers. Patrick earned what he could as a laborer. They were working toward a better future for their kids.\u003cbr\u003eSoon enough, both parents fell asleep.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eReady for winter, the O’Learys’ barn was filled with two tons (1.8 metric tons) of coal and two tons (1.8 metric tons) of hay. That’s enough fuel to feed an intense fire.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e8:35 p.m.\u003cbr\u003eJust moments after the O’Learys settled into a deep slumber—horror! Black smoke gushed out of their barn. Neighbor and family friend Dan Sullivan saw it first. According to his testimony later, he rushed to the barn and yanked open the doors. The hayloft was engulfed in flames. He yelled for help and tried to save the O’Learys’ animals. Another neighbor heard his cries and raced toward the O’Learys’ house.\u003cbr\u003eCatherine and Patrick woke up to panicked screams.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e “Fire! Fire! Fire!”\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFACT FILE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003eReporting a Fire: Street Call Boxes\u003c\/u\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eStreet call boxes, located throughout the city, were considered state-of-the-art technology. When a city resident pulled a lever in the box, a telegraph message, automatically including the location of the box, was sent via wires to the fire department, alerting them to the fire.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith the neighbors’ help, the O’Learys worked to keep their house from catching fire. Friends picked up the furniture and carried it to safety. Neighbors filled buckets and tubs with water from fire hydrants to pour onto the O’Learys’ house. The O’Leary children were moved to safety. The barn could not be saved: only a single calf escaped before the structure burned to the ground.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIrish immigrants built the O’Learys’ crowded neighborhood. The lots were small. The houses were close together. They were constructed of wood-the cheapest building material. As we know, wood burns easily. When wooden houses are built so closely together, it is easy for fire to spread, especially in windy conditions. All it takes is an ember from one house to land on the roof of the house next door.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDowntown, high atop the courthouse tower, a fire watchman looked through a spyglass. His job? To alert the fire department at the first sign of fire. After scanning the horizon, he spotted smoke rising from the O’Learys’ barn. But he wasn’t worried because he figured the smoke was from the fire at the lumber mill. He knew that even though the flames were out, it was still smoldering.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e A neighbor of the O’Learys ran to the closest street call box and asked the storekeeper in charge of it to pull the alarm. It is unclear if that alarm was actually activated. It would have automatically sent the fire’s location to the fire department. But many people were unsure about how to operate the boxes, including how to tell if their message even went through. \u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Candlewick","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233650847973,"sku":"NP9781536213416","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781536213416.jpg?v=1767738916","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-danger-files-reallife-disasters-isbn-9781536213416","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}