On December 6, 1917 two ships collided in Halifax Harbour. One ship was loaded top to bottom with munitions and one held relief supplies, both inte...
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Jan 21, 2012
Wendy
rated it: 
Great book! It's the kind of non-fiction I like best, with a combination of facts and personal narrative, all told with a sweeping movement and intensity. The introductory chapters, where we hear about who went to work and who went to school and who stayed home sick and who only went to school in the afternoon, were unbearable as I waited to find out which of these places was safe and which wasn't. As is right and proper in juvenile non-fiction, much of the book focuses on children's experiences
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Dec 27, 2011
David
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Blizzard of Glass: The Halifax Explosion of 1917 by Sally M. Walker is the true story of a horrific ship collision in Halifax Harbour that resulted in a blast that flattened two towns, Halifax and Dartmouth, and killed nearly 2,000 people.
Wlaker's storytelling, based on original source material, conveys this harrowing account of tragedy and recovery. The book particularly follows members of six families: the Pattison's, O'Brien's, Coleman's, Hook's, Lonecloud's and MacDonald's, bef More...
Wlaker's storytelling, based on original source material, conveys this harrowing account of tragedy and recovery. The book particularly follows members of six families: the Pattison's, O'Brien's, Coleman's, Hook's, Lonecloud's and MacDonald's, bef More...
Dec 13, 2011
Shelley
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I'd never heard of this: Dec 1917, a munitions ship collided with another in the Halifax, NS docks and the resulting blast destroyed two towns. Within seconds, buildings were leveled for a mile, glass gone for more, and thousands of people were dead and then there was a tsunami and ten minutes of black oil TNT rain. And then the next day, when they were trying to rescue people buried alive in buildings, there was a blizzard. Disaster after disaster. This followed several families, some of whom p
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Jul 11, 2011
Loree
rated it:
I picked up an Advance Reader’s Edition of this book at the annual conference of the American Library Association last month. Technically, I am too biased to review it: Sally Walker is a friend and Henry Holt is publishing my own next book. But I’m not the sort of girl that would let those things sway her into praising a book she didn’t love ... and I love this book too much not to sing about it.
In 1917, a ship carrying munitions into Halifax Harbor collided with another ship, setting More...
In 1917, a ship carrying munitions into Halifax Harbor collided with another ship, setting More...
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Dec 17, 2011
Laura
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I had never heard of the Halifax Explosion, which was the largest man-made explosion until atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Sally Walker takes us through the events that led to the explosion and traces the story of several families affected by the day's events. The primary source documents and objects were used to full effect in describing the explosion. The story itself was interesting and the narrative easy to follow. The follow up and recommended resources are helpful for students or
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Jan 17, 2012
Marjorie
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Awesome, freaky and terrifying -- and how had I never heard of the Halifax Explosion, the biggest man-made explosion before Hiroshima? These Canadians are really too quiet and unassuming.
The book is super-suspenseful as the author ticks off what each member of several families living near the harbor was doing on the morning that two ships -- one laden with munitions -- converged. The tick-tick-tick tone of it all is sickeningly scary, super-cinematic, kind of puke-inducing. You have n More...
The book is super-suspenseful as the author ticks off what each member of several families living near the harbor was doing on the morning that two ships -- one laden with munitions -- converged. The tick-tick-tick tone of it all is sickeningly scary, super-cinematic, kind of puke-inducing. You have n More...
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Jan 23, 2012
Jane
rated it:
A stunning recounting of an enormous explosion in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1917 that few Americans probably even have heard of. A ship carrying nearly 3,000 tons of explosives destined for Europe during World War I stopped at Halifax harbor and, due to miscommunication, was rammed by another boat, causing the largest man-made explosion before the atomic bomb in Hiroshima years later.
Author Sally Walker follows the lives of the ordinary citizens of Halifax going about their daily routines th More...
Author Sally Walker follows the lives of the ordinary citizens of Halifax going about their daily routines th More...
Jan 08, 2012
Joan
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I'll echo what someone else said: Hand this to your Titanic fans when they run out of material....btw the 100 anniversary of Titanic is this coming April. Be prepared for everything Titanic... Actually the Titanic gets mentioned in this book because the Halifax area actually helped shelter Titanic survivors just a few years earlier. This was the closest town to where the Titanic survivors were brought to land. This was exciting and had me crying at times. I did like the fact that Walker emphasi
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Jan 16, 2012
Karen
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In December of 1917, several ships containing hazardous chemicals in the harbor of Halifax collided. The resulting explosion was the biggest man made one until Hiroshima. Not only did the heat and shock waves destroy all of the buildings nearby, but the resultant tsunami also caused major damage. Thousands died. The devastation was incalculable, and this book does an excellent job of explaining this for middle grade readers-- after an introduction of how things aligned for this to occur, the cat
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Jan 24, 2012
Sharon
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Just received this and read it immediately! Thorough research sets the stage for the arrival of the Mont Blanc in the Halifax Harbor, with its holds and deck filled with various explosives for the war in Europe. Halifax was a busy harbor community and it is brought to life through the experiences of various members of the community and five families. The children go to school; the mothers stay at home to keep house, and the fathers and older children go off to work in factories, on the docks, o
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Feb 15, 2012
Paul
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History at its most awful and its best: an incredibly well-done portrait of the day (in 1917) when Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada), was blown to pieces by colliding ships (one laden with munitions for the WWI front lines). "The largest man-made explosion prior to the atomic bomb," the book asserts. A grim look at the human toll (over 2,000 dead) that a single mistake can cause. Think of it as "an autopsy" of a sad day in human history, and the story of how a devastated city tri
Jan 06, 2012
Mary Ellen
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I was curious to know more about the Dec. 6, 1917 explosion in the Halifax, Nova Scotia harbor after two ships collided. The story told by Blizzard of Glass, targeting young adult readers, was direct and detailed and really engaged my interest. It was enhanced by photos of neighborhoods surrounding the harbor before and after the disaster and family trees displaying members of the Halifax communities touched by injury and death. You will be drawn in by this carefully documented and well-illustra
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Feb 04, 2012
Karen
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December 6, 1917 was a normal day in Halifax, Nova Scotia. People went to work, children went to school. All this changed when two ships collided in the harbor, unleashing the largest man-made explosion before the atomic bomb. This book provides a riveting account of the explosion, and the tsunami and blizzard that followed. It is the story of devestation, as well as a community and nation coming together to deal with the disaster. Walker has written another engrossing book.
Dec 26, 2011
Elizabeth
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A very interesting in-depth look at a historical event that I hadn't even heard of until I went to a conference last fall and a speaker talked about this book. In 1917, Halifax, Nova Scotia, was a thriving city and an important port for soldiers and supplies heading for Europe during WWI. On the morning of December 6, 1917, two ships, one carrying high explosives and the other medical supplies, collided in Halifax Harbour, setting off a chain of events--explosion, tsunami, fire, more fire, mor
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Feb 15, 2012
Mary
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Excellent nonfiction book detailing the Halifax explosion of 1917. This devastating but interesting story chronicles the lives of several families before, during, and after the explosion as well as provides scientific facts about the explosion itself and ensuing tsunami. A well written, interesting nonfiction book for 3-8th graders.
Jan 14, 2012
Sheila
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I had never even heard of this historical event before reading this book. Walker does an amazing job of pulling the reader right into the story. I could not put it down. So far, this is my choice for the Sibert Award this year.
Dec 16, 2011
Michael
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What is the connection between the city of Halifax in Canada, World War I, and the Christmas tree in Boston, Massachusetts? Two thousand deaths in the largest man-made explosion before the atomic bomb, that's what.
Feb 06, 2012
Nancy
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Sally Walker did an amazing job presenting this little know piece of Canadian history to the US. Check out my blog, Historically Speaking, for more of this review. http://nancycastaldo.blogspot.com/
Jan 24, 2012
Kristen
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This was a well-written nonfiction book for middle grade readers about a huge explosion in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1917. The book did a good job of both humanizing the event and putting it into its historical context. Recommended.
Jan 14, 2012
Tina
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Not one of my favorite non-fiction titles. It is not written is as narrative a style as Jim Murphy, but holds some interest. I can see young adult readers skipping alot of details to get to the actual event.
Jan 09, 2012
Abby
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Sally Walker has penned another riveting historical account. Blizzard of Glass will captivate tweens and teens who are fascinated with disasters. Hand this one to your many Titanic fans. And, as always with Sally Walker's work, the book contains super back matter (index, author's note, sources, etc.).
Full review on the blog: http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2012/01/...
Full review on the blog: http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2012/01/...
Dec 29, 2011
Amanda
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12 and up, nonfiction, Halifax Nova Scotia, explosions, World War 1914-1918, shipwrecks, shock waves, tragedy and reconstruction
Feb 18, 2012
Cindy
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My sister-in-law is from Nova Scotia so I have been in Halifax and I'm familiar with the explosion.
Dec 16, 2011
Susan
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A good overview of a bewildering event. Now I have to re-read Burden of Desire by Robert McNeil.
