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48th out of 56 books
—
8 voters
A City Tossed and Broken, San Francisco, California, 1906: The Diary of Minnie Bonner (Dear America)
From National Book Award-winning author Judy Blundell, a thrilling account of the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.
When Minnie Bonner's father disappears after losing the Bonners' Philadelphia tavern, the wealthy gentleman Edward Sump, led by his avaricious wife, offers Minnie a chance to work as a lady's maid to support her family. The Sumps have grand plans, grander than...more
When Minnie Bonner's father disappears after losing the Bonners' Philadelphia tavern, the wealthy gentleman Edward Sump, led by his avaricious wife, offers Minnie a chance to work as a lady's maid to support her family. The Sumps have grand plans, grander than...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
March 2013
by Scholastic
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Having loved this series (Dear America) when I was younger and as a tween, I was excited when some new ones came out. So I've been picking them up whenever I see one at the library.
This journal is about Minnie Bonner whose parents ran a tavern until they got into debt and had to give it up. To help pay off the debt Minnie's mother sends her to work as a maid to the very family they lost the tavern too. Of course Minnie doesn't want to go and she's very confused about what really happened. See he...more
This journal is about Minnie Bonner whose parents ran a tavern until they got into debt and had to give it up. To help pay off the debt Minnie's mother sends her to work as a maid to the very family they lost the tavern too. Of course Minnie doesn't want to go and she's very confused about what really happened. See he...more
Dear America is a go-to for historical fiction for young people, and the series keeps expanding with more titles by award-winning authors. One of the newest entries is by Judy Blundell, author of award-winning YA novel What I Saw and How I Lied, among others. In this novel, she presents the diary of a 14-year old Philadelphia girl, Minnie Bonner, the daughter of a French tavern owner who has deserted his wife and child. His wife sends her only daughter Minnie into service as a lady's maid for th...more
After her father loses the family tavern, Minnie Bonner is sent to San Francisco as a mad for the newly-rich Sumps. While Mrs. Sump plots to marry off her daughter Lily and find entrée into high society, Lily comes to her own conclusions about what might make life more enjoyable. Before she can step out on her own, though, the city is torn apart by an earthquake and the subsequent fires that destroy many of the city's buildings and result in several deaths. Minnie survives and is mistaken for Li...more
Reviewed for www.compassbookratings.com
Overall Review:
Scholastic's Dear America series is an excellent means to expose kids to important events in American history. With over forty books to choose from, each written by a well-known author, young readers will be transported to different time periods. Each engaging story is written in a similar format -- a diary composed by a fictitious young woman.
In Dear America: A City Tossed and Broken, Minnie Bonner recounts her survival of the great San Fra...more
Overall Review:
Scholastic's Dear America series is an excellent means to expose kids to important events in American history. With over forty books to choose from, each written by a well-known author, young readers will be transported to different time periods. Each engaging story is written in a similar format -- a diary composed by a fictitious young woman.
In Dear America: A City Tossed and Broken, Minnie Bonner recounts her survival of the great San Fra...more
Reviewed from an ARC, so no opinion about the lack of illustrations. Minnie comes to San Francisco as a young maid of a wealthy family from Philadelphia. Due to a series of daily and sometimes hourly earthquake updates the story as the fire progresses through the city. The fire updates are very accurate, and period photos are at the end of the book. Part of the tension in the plot is Minnie's impersonation of her employer's daughter after the family she works for all die from falling masonry. Th...more
Powerful story about young Minnie's family losing everything and her having to make a fresh start of it as a maid in San Francisco. This story intrigued me and really brought the experience of living through a horrific earthquake and then the subsequent firestorm that raged afterward. I fully appreciated the historical information about the family and photographs of the city that were included at the end.
This one was a lot better than the last new Dear America reboot book I read (Down the Rabbit Hole Chicago Illinois 1871 The Diary of Pringle Rose).
The pacing of the story was great and I really felt as if I got a better, clearer picture of the San Francisco Earthquake. Some of the storyline required a little more suspension of disbelief than I would like, but overall, a reasonable addition to the Dear America franchise.
The pacing of the story was great and I really felt as if I got a better, clearer picture of the San Francisco Earthquake. Some of the storyline required a little more suspension of disbelief than I would like, but overall, a reasonable addition to the Dear America franchise.
Blundell adds a different perspective to the great San Francisco earthquake. I felt the emotions of the day and the days that followed, and I was able to understand the desperation and loss that was felt by so many. A great book for elementary and middle grade readers.
A well written series for kids and teens that gives a human face to major events in American history. Not for readers who like historical fiction with more depth but a nice supplement to textbook history.
An interesting look at a girl, working as a maid, caught in the middle of the SF earthquake and the gambling and corruption in 1906.
Exciting historical fiction story of a young girl from Philadelphia who survives the 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco.
Apr 23, 2013
Kylie of the Cat Clans
added it
I thought that this book was a bit mischevious... so I loved it. I really felt bad for Minnie; it was probably hard D:
~Kylie (IluvmyNini)
~Kylie (IluvmyNini)
This is not the best book Dear America has to offer, but it is historically accurate and offers a glimpse of San Francisco children might have only seen in history books. The feel of terror is spot on but the plot is thin and the characters are one dimensional and flat. Read this one for the history not the plot.
*I got this book as a digital ARC from Net Galley and this is my opinion only.*
*I got this book as a digital ARC from Net Galley and this is my opinion only.*
Great story of the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.
I really like the writing and following Minnie Bonner and wondering what she may do next, as different obstacles and moral decisions came up.
I really like the writing and following Minnie Bonner and wondering what she may do next, as different obstacles and moral decisions came up.
I enjoyed this one. I have to say their more recent additions to the series have a little more meat to them.
I have wanted Dear America to do a book on this topic since I first started reading the series. I was not disappointed.
This is a young adult book that's a very quick read. I really enjoyed it.
Jun 18, 2013
Bethany Council
marked it as to-read
Jun 15, 2013
Ayla
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Jun 14, 2013
Dugle99
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Jun 13, 2013
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A pseudonym used by Jude Watson.
Judy Blundell has written books for middle grade, young adult, and adult readers under several pseudonyms. Her novel, Premonitions, was an ALA Reluctant Readers Best Picks and was chosen by the New York Public Library as a 2004 Best Books for the Teen Age. Among her forthcoming projects is Book #4 in the New York Times bestselling series, The 39 Clues. Judy Blundell...more
More about Judy Blundell...
Judy Blundell has written books for middle grade, young adult, and adult readers under several pseudonyms. Her novel, Premonitions, was an ALA Reluctant Readers Best Picks and was chosen by the New York Public Library as a 2004 Best Books for the Teen Age. Among her forthcoming projects is Book #4 in the New York Times bestselling series, The 39 Clues. Judy Blundell...more
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