Yep, Laurence. 2006. The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San
Francisco Earthquake of 1906. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.
ISBN: 0060275251
Plot Summary:
The Earth Dragon had awaken before, but the Travis’s, Chin,
and Ah Sing were unaware of the complication its movement was about to bring to
their lives during this next awakening. Ah Sing, a Chinese immigrant in San
Francisco in 1906, worked as a houseboy for the Travis family. His son Chin and
the Travis boy, Henry, had grown to be friends and spent many evenings together
reading “penny dreadfuls” to entertain their thoughts about heroism. Once the
Earth Dragon, or earthquake, began to devastate the city and all its
inhabitants, Henry and Chin recount their experiences as they deal with the
loss of their homes and struggle to find safety. Through their shattering loss,
Henry and Chin discover true heroism.
Critical Analysis:
Yen does a perfect job of introducing the characters in a
way that expresses their culture and status during the early 1900’s. Yen is
able to utilize his Chinese heritage to depict how the Chinese were treated in
society around this time of the great earthquake. The discrimination of the
Chinese is most evident in the details Yen writes in the afterword about the
people not even wanting the Chinese to return after the fire. The character
development is well-balanced in that it expresses the culture, but does not
distract from the events of the earthquake. Although Yen states the characters
are fictional, their thoughts and experiences are, in fact, a historical look
at how the people in San Francisco dealt with the devastation of the earthquake
and fire.
It is clear that Yen grew up in San Francisco. Yen does an
amazing job of specifically addressing areas in San Francisco such as Nob Hill
and Chinatown. Even if you have never been to the city, the details Yen
provides about the locations in and around the city make it natural for readers
to visualize the areas as the earthquake and fire move through the city and the
people scramble to get out. Also eye
opening are the photographs included in the afterword of the book depicting the
smoke and crippled buildings.
Yen’s style of writing is organized in a way that makes it
easy for young readers to follow. The short chapters begin with a date and time
to help organize the events throughout the earthquake and fire. Heroism is a prevalent
theme throughout the book. Early on, the boys discuss heroic cowboys in their
reading and soon come to realize the heroic qualities in their own families as
they reach out to others and make brave decisions along their journey. The
commitment of the firefighters and volunteers while battling the enormous blaze
further exemplify heroic qualities. There
are also examples of non-heroes, such as the looters and people profiting on
those trying to escape the fire. In addition to the other elements of the
story, the theme in The Earth Dragon
Awakes is authentic to the historical earthquake and fire of 1906.
Awards & Reviews:
Newberry Award winning author
Laura Ingalls Wilder Award
“Yep intersperses the fiction of Henry and Chin’s
experiences with short chapters of facts about the earthquake and subsequent
fire. This is a timely reminder of a historical disaster that turned over 2000
acres of city into a wasteland.”—Kirkus Review
“Henry and Chin’s stories are told in
alternating chapters with a few interruptions for the insertion of earthquake
information. Told in the present tense, the narration provides a "you are
there" sense of immediacy and will appeal to readers who enjoy action-packed
survival stories.”—Booklist
Connections:
*Do additional research on
the 1906 earthquake using information sources such as http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/1906/18april/index.php
.
*Do additional research or
reading on plate tectonics
*Have students do a “What
would you do?” – Write about what they would take and where they would go in a devastating
situation such as an earthquake.
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