1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Murphy, Jim. 2000. BLIZZARD!. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 0590673106
2. PLOT SUMMARY
The New England Great Blizzard of 1888 takes center stage in Jim Murphy’s profoundly accessible Blizzard! While imbued with excerpts from newspaper and eye-witness accounts as well as primary-source images, the telling reads like an intriguing story, with the lives of the inhabitants taking center stage. Saddening and surprising at times, Murphy takes young readers through harrowing accounts of the almost animalistic behaviors of the storm fronts that collided to hunt down and bury the north-eastern United States. The slow onset of the storm, the frightening life of tenement dwellers and the sad loss of life for many of those who braved then storm and broken by moments of heroism, determination, and even amusement, such as the tale of the hundreds of individuals who attempted to cross the frozen river under the Brooklyn Bridge only to end up riding down the currents on huge chunks of ice. As they were later rescued, the humor of the particular series of events comes forth. Murphy works hard to make this tale one that young readers will find engaging and draw them in to read more of his work.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Murphy works hard to ensure that his work is based on solid primary-source evidence as noted throughout the text and in well-documented chapter on notes on sources and related materials. While certain license is taken in terms of the emotional responses that those caught in the terrible storm may have faced, the author worked diligently to let the voices of those souls speak for themselves whenever possible.
Written in a very novel-like style Murphy’s Blizzard is easy to read and in a style that younger readers will be able to readily grasp. The organization is chronological in nature though at times Murphy moves not only through time but space as well, to inform readers of events happening concurrently in various locations in the affected area. Overall the story is written in such a manner that the informative nature of the book is perfectly blended with the narrative style often employed by the author in other works.
The design of the book has the feeling of reading an older newspaper. All images and even the text are in a sepia tone and its seems to make the book feel more warm and enticing, a nice juxtaposition from the chilling information contained within. Relying heavily on photographs and artist’s sketches from the period, the book has a good mix of text and images, with block quotes dispersed throughout in a larger font. The overall feel of the entire work is one that is meant to inform, not frighten, but it does so in a conversational and engaging manner.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
GOODREADS REVIEW: “Newbery Honor Book author Jim Murphy orchestrates with fact, science, technology, and sociology the testimony of survivors and victims to tell the harrowing story of the phenomenal blizzard that crippled New York City in March, 1888.”
BARNES AND NOBLE REVIEW: “Newbery Honor Book author Jim Murphy orchestrates with fact, science, technology, and sociology the testimony of survivors and victims to tell the harrowing story of the phenomenal blizzard that crippled New York City in March, 1888.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*Teachers in science and geography courses could use this text as a tie-in to multiple instructional units on severe weather phenomenon.
*Teachers in history courses could use Murphy’s work as a jumping-off point for the development of technological advancements in response to natural disasters throughout history.
*Other books about the weather events in history:
Latham, Donna. HURRICANE! : THE 1900 GALVESTON NIGHT OF TERROR. ISBN 9781597160711
Lusted, Marcia Amidon. THE 2004 INDIAN OCEAN TSUNAMI. ISBN 9781604530476
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