The 1929 Newfoundland Burin Peninsula tsunami, seen through the eyes of a 13-year-old girl.It is early evening on Nov. 18, 1929, and in the small fishing village of Taylor's Bay, Celia Matthews is at home with her family when the earth begins to shake. Startled, the family runs outside, where they see most of their neighbors. They eagerly trade thoughts of what has caused it, and when the rumbling subsides, the families gradually go back inside to their dinners. But Celia is worried about her dog, Boomer. Her mother forbids her to look for him, but Celia, pretending she needs to use the outhouse, goes anyway. Outside, she notices an odd sight; the waters of the bay are receding rapidly. She stares, transfixed, and then begins to hear the shouts of alarm, as the tidal wave created by the earthquake comes rushing in. She runs for her life but is overtaken by the wave of cold water, described thrillingly. Boomer helps her, and they are both rescued by neighbors. Sticking to facts within Celia's first-person narration, the tale will transfix readers with both the adventure of the tidal wave and its aftermath and the many historical details that bring to life an isolated but close-knit fishing community without electricity or motors and with both the general store's newly installed telephone and the telegraph knocked out by the wave. All characters read as White.Gripping and strengthening. (historical note) (Historical fiction. 9-13)

Gr 3-7 On November 18, 1929, Celia was celebrating her 13th birthday when her small village on Newfoundland's Burin Peninsula felt the tremors of an earthquake that was the precursor to a tidal wave of tsunamic proportions, resulting in the total devastation of her small community. Told in episodic journal form through the eyes of Celia, this narrative is filled with all the emotional highs and lows a survivor endures in the midst, and aftermath, of a natural disaster. The historic notes with black-and-white photographs of the actual town heighten the gravity of this historical fiction novel. Readers will observe the degree of resilience, courage, and bravery needed when Celia chooses to overlook petty differences and band together with others for survival's sake, while waiting for help from the outside world. Through significant research, Meade provides insight into the history and voice of one of the many towns on the coast of Newfoundland that experienced the tragic event nearly a century ago. During these current pandemic times, Meade has added to the list resources that can help middle graders cope with survival trauma, providing a model of hope and connection in fearful circumstances. VERDICT Highly recommended for readers who revel in nuanced disaster accounts such as Jewell Parker Rhodes's Ninth Ward , Riel Nason's The Town That Drowned , and Ann E. Burg's Flooded: Requiem for Johnstown .Sabrina Carnesi, Crittenden M.S., Newport News, VA

The 1929 Newfoundland Burin Peninsula tsunami, seen through the eyes of a 13-year-old girl.It is early evening on Nov. 18, 1929, and in the small fishing village of Taylor's Bay, Celia Matthews is at home with her family when the earth begins to shake. Startled, the family runs outside, where they see most of their neighbors. They eagerly trade thoughts of what has caused it, and when the rumbling subsides, the families gradually go back inside to their dinners. But Celia is worried about her dog, Boomer. Her mother forbids her to look for him, but Celia, pretending she needs to use the outhouse, goes anyway. Outside, she notices an odd sight; the waters of the bay are receding rapidly. She stares, transfixed, and then begins to hear the shouts of alarm, as the tidal wave created by the earthquake comes rushing in. She runs for her life but is overtaken by the wave of cold water, described thrillingly. Boomer helps her, and they are both rescued by neighbors. Sticking to facts within Celia's first-person narration, the tale will transfix readers with both the adventure of the tidal wave and its aftermath and the many historical details that bring to life an isolated but close-knit fishing community without electricity or motors and with both the general store's newly installed telephone and the telegraph knocked out by the wave. All characters read as White.Gripping and strengthening. (historical note) (Historical fiction. 9-13)