Mudslide in La Conchita, California, 2005

by Karen Bush Gibson

On January 10, 2005, people who lived in the small oceanfront town of La Conchita, California, were horrified to hear a loud rumble. Weakened by heavy rains, the mountain overlooking the town began to crumble. Thousands of tons of mud mowed over trees, houses, and people. When it stopped, a huge hill contained fifteen houses and up to twenty-one people. In the days that followed, rescue workers and townspeople worked together to save as many as possible. In this heartbreaking account of the La Conchita mudslide, it becomes clear that even the best-laid plans are not always enough to ensure survival in the face of a natural disaster.

32 pages, Library Binding

First published November 21, 2005

About the author

Karen Bush Gibson (also known as K.B. Gibson and Karen Gibson) has been writing, well, forever. She has written a little bit of everything, but got her start writing articles and features for magazines. Karen began writing children's nonfiction in 2001 with Capstone and loves bringing nonfiction to life for kids. Since then, she has worked with several publishers, including Chicago Review Press and Nomad Press. Karen has more than 30 books published (stopped counting at 30) and stays so busy that she's having trouble returning to her other love, mystery writing. "A Class on Murder" was released in 2012.