Carrie and the Great Storm: A Galveston Hurricane Survival Story by Jessica S. Gunderson

Carrie and the Great Storm: A Galveston Hurricane Survival Story Reviews

• 
  Panda Incognito

  This Girls Survive installment is set in a more affluent context than some of them, which I found interesting. A lot of the books focus on recent immigrants or people facing major challenges in daily life, but this main character is comfortably middle class, with a social-climbing mother who is excited to be included in the biggest party of the year. I found this interesting, because the story shows how vulnerable everyone is in the midst of a disaster, regardless of their social standing or economic class.
  
  In this suspenseful story, Carrie's parents leave for the party as a tropical storm begins, and no one realizes how bad this storm will be in comparison to others. She remains at home with her brother, feeling disappointed that her mother's plans prevented her from sleeping over at a friend's house, but her priorities shift as the storm grows more terrible and she and her brother must find a way to survive.
  
  I found this book gripping and educational, and learned a lot more about the Galveston hurricane. The author also briefly touches on segregation, showing how racial barriers diminished in the struggle for survival, and briefly writes about the aftermath of the storm. The historical note at the end includes the author's perspective on the event, more information, and some photographs. This is a great installment that I would recommend, although it includes some very tragic details that not all young readers will be ready to handle.
• 
  Morgan (youarethelibrarian)

  If you have read and enjoyed others of this series, or want to learn more about this historic natural disaster, then don’t pass this one up.
• 
  Becky B

  Carrie is all excited to go spend the night the next day at her best friend's house, but then her parents tell her they are going to a party and need her to stay home with her little brother. The day of the party is stormy, and just hours after their parents leave, Carrie and Henry notice water coating their first floor. As the storm gets worse, can Carrie keep herself and her little brother safe?
  
  Jessica Gunderson tells in the back of the book the research she did for this book and how it inspired Carrie's tale. I liked that part of the tale involves the racial barriers that can be brought down by acts of kindness. I've read Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson so I know that though Gunderson did base this heavily on real stories, she also withheld a lot of the gory details of the storm and the clean up. It is an appropriate amount of danger and seriousness for middle graders. Hand this to reluctant historical fiction readers and fans of storm survival stories.
  
  Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. Deaths are mentioned, but not described in any detail.
• 
  Bella Starr

  ~3.75~
  
  This book was pretty good. This is something I wouldn't usually read, but I read the first four of them when they came out, so I decided to pick the rest up. I feel like this book was too short and that the book seemed unrealistic. I know that it is supposed to be girls surviving natural disasters, but I don't think Carrie would've been strong enough to pull the roof piece in between the two trees. I know that the events are supposed to be based on real events that happened during the Galveston Hurricane, but it just seemed too unrealistic for Carrie to be doing. I learned a bit about the Galveston Hurricane, which I enjoyed.
• 
  Katrina Kuhn

  My next choice from the Girls Survive series was chosen based on the fact that I've never heard of the Galveston Hurricane.
  
  As Carrie's parents are away at a party when the storm comes in, Carrie has to step to take care of her brother. While I think it was very unrealistic that a 12-year-old would physically be able to do what she does, it makes for a nice story.
  
  As always, appreciated the author's notes at the end, and the effort to incorporate things that might have happened in history (like with William's vignette).
• 
  Jennybeast

  I grew up in Texas, and spent some time in Galveston, so I LOVE that there is a book talking about this event -- the images are heartbreaking, the situation was astounding. It's on par with the other books in the series -- Carrie's interest in fashion isn't the most inspiring thing ever, but it's more than just a surface talent. I liked that Gunderson made an effort to include African Americans in the book and took some time to address segregation.
• 
  Nina

  
  https://www.instagram.com/p/CFgYB44HR...
• 
  Denise

  A piece of history about which I knew nothing, so reading about this storm of 1900 was enlightening.