Young Reviewers - Anna's Blizzard - by Alison Hart

Young Reviewers Interview Alison Hart & giveaway of Emma's Rover here.

Title: Anna's Blizzard
Author: Alison Hart
Publisher: Peachtree
Published: August 2005
ISBN:  1561453498
Author's website: http://www.alisonhartbooks.com/index.html

Rating: 5/5 with merits!!  - Rated by Young Reviewers (& Michelle agrees)

Review from Shaun, aged 8:
I liked the good detail on the cover.  The storyline got a big thumbs up from me...I've previously read Little House on the Prairie books, and I enjoyed Anna's Blizzard just as much.  I loved it all.  My favorite part was when John Jacob was rescued  by Anna from the Blizzard. Top, the horse who stars alongside Anna, is my favorite character from the book.  John Jacob is my next favorite because he and Anna are always up for adventures together.

Review from Michelle:
Anna's Blizzard is a delightful, well researched story of Nebraska prairie life, showing the hardships and friendships, as well as the lifestyle.  I enjoy historical fiction, and this one is no exception.  It's really accessible for middle school aged children and was a page turner throughout.  The difference in life on the prairie, and historical changes, as well as the adventures this book offers make it a very interesting read.  This would be an excellent book to read as an introduction into prairie life for children.  I love the extra information in the back which gives detailed explanations of some of the history of the Prairie and lifestyle within the pages, along with illustrations.  It's packed full of information and just the right size for chapter-a-night readers.

Book Synopsis:
"A young Nebraska girl discovers the courage to save others during a life-threatening snowstorm.
It is 1888. Twelve-year-old Anna loves life on the Nebraska prairie where she lives with her parents and four-year-old brother in a simple sod house. She doesn't mind helping out with chores on her family's farm, especially when she is herding sheep with her beloved pony, Top Hat. Here, on the open prairie, Anna feels at home in the world. But at school she feels hopelessly out of place. Arithmetic is too hard, her penmanship is abysmal, and stuck-up Eloise Baxter always laughs at her mistakes.
When a fierce blizzard suddenly kicks up on a mild winter day, Anna, her schoolmates, and young teacher, Miss Simmons, become trapped in the one-room schoolhouse. The kerosene is gone and the wood for the stove is low. Then the wind tears away the roof and door. Anna knows they must escape before it is too late. Does she have the courage and strength to lead the others through the whiteout to safety?
Author Alison Hart offers young readers a dramatic story of rescue and survival set in a nineteenth-century homesteading community and featuring a plucky, determined protagonist.
An author's note provides more information about prairie life in the late nineteenth century and about the great storm that hit Nebraska in 1888, now known as "The School Children's Blizzard.""





Source: Many thanks to the Author for providing a review copy to the Young Reviewers for their honest feedback.