SOS Stories of Survival: True Tales of Disaster, Tragedy, and Courage.

Martha Lamon is a freelance writer and researcher based in Huntsville,
Ontario.

Stories of Survival contains 13 stories about manmade and natural disasters. The focus of each story is young people. The stories are straightforward and factual and give personal details of some of the young people and families involved in the tragedies. Many of the stories take place in Canada, but significant world events, such as Hurricane Katrina, Chernobyl, and the Tsunami of 2004, are included. Each story concludes with information about how people and communities coped following the disaster and what changes were brought about so that similar events would be prevented in the future.

The book opens with the story of the Asia, a riverboat that sank in 1882 while plying the waters of Georgian Bay. Readers will be captivated by the experience of the two survivors, who drifted in a lifeboat for a night and day following the tragedy. The Johnstown Flood recounts the collapse of a Pennsylvania dam during a storm in 1889 and the misery unleashed on the communities downstream. The story of the Halifax explosion is told through the experiences of a series of schoolchildren. Mining disasters, fires, volcanic eruptions, and the horrors of war area all included in this book.

Author Ed Butts helps young readers understand the events by including contextual information in a prelude to each story. Historical black-and-white photos round out the stories. The focus on children and youths as well as the intriguing nature of the stories will make this book appealing to young readers. Recommended.