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Girls Survive
Lily and the Great Quake: A San Francisco Earthquake Survival Story
Lily is a twelve-year-old Chinese American girl living in San Francisco's Chinatown when an earthquake destroys her home and sets her neighborhood on fire. Separated from her parents, Lily must help her younger brother and neighbor escape San Francisco. As the city burns, Lily struggles to keep her group close as they face peril and racism. Will Lily be reunited with her parents and make it across the bay to the safety of Oakland? Readers can learn the real story of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake from the nonfiction backmatter in this Girls Survive story. A glossary, discussion questions, and writing prompts are also provided.
112 pages, Paperback
Published February 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
June 23, 2021
I've read many books about the 1906 earthquake and fire and one from a Chinese perspective. This one focused on the same survival story as the others with the addition of Lily's home in Chinatown. Since the water lines were destroyed in the earthquake, the fire department tried to create fire breaks by blowing up Chinatown. Anyone who returned for their belongings would be shot as a looter. The story also explains how Lily's father has to carry their papers showing Lily's mother, Lily and her brother were all born in the U.S. and her father is a legal immigrant worker. The author doesn't shy away from showing some of the abuse the Chinese in San Francisco faced, especially during this terrifying ordeal. She also worked in a woman with bound feet and Lily's mom explaining why she does NOT find them beautiful and will NOT be doing that to her daughter.
I liked Lily and could relate to her being shy until she's pushed into bravery by necessity. Lily's favorite story is The Wizard of Oz and she takes inspiration from the characters in the story as she tries to protect her little brother and their possessions and make it safely to their friends and family. It's a little corny for me as an adult. Lily's brother is pretty cute. Lee loves penny dreadfuls (serialized cheap paperback adventure stories) and fancies himself a cowboy. His speech is laced with cowboy slang. He, too, wants to be helpful and protect his family and their meager belongings. He's very brave and perhaps reckless but he saves the day. Their parents love their children and indulge them when and how they can. They also share their traditional foods and clothing with their children so they haven't lost sight of their identity. There's no question they're Chinese. The author believes Lily wouldn't consider herself American because of the extreme racism and segregation the Chinese faced at that time in San Francisco but I think Lily would consider herself both Chinese AND American. She goes to school, has learned to speak and read English well and her favorite book is an American classic. I'd like to know what her future holds and what will happen to the family.
The books include an author's note on the history behind the story. Even though the author is of Chinese descent and lived in San Francisco growing up, she didn't know much about the Chinese Exclusion Act or the extreme racism against Chinese immigrants in San Francisco until she did research for the book. She states the story was based on a real Chinese-American girl named Lily who survived the earthquake. In the back of the book there are discussion questions to get the young reader to think about parallels between then and now.
The writing isn't as sophisticated as American Girl or Dear America. It's more for a younger crowd but better than AG's Real Stories from My Time and better than Scholastic's My America series. They're paperback printed in gray and white and illustrated with full page illustrations and a decorative border. While the writing isn't fabulous, it's not bad-modern but 1906 is kind of modern I guess.
This is an interesting enough book to check out from the library. It's Scholastic level writing, not AG independent level writing, but a good introduction for a reader not ready for AG and Dear America yet.
I liked Lily and could relate to her being shy until she's pushed into bravery by necessity. Lily's favorite story is The Wizard of Oz and she takes inspiration from the characters in the story as she tries to protect her little brother and their possessions and make it safely to their friends and family. It's a little corny for me as an adult. Lily's brother is pretty cute. Lee loves penny dreadfuls (serialized cheap paperback adventure stories) and fancies himself a cowboy. His speech is laced with cowboy slang. He, too, wants to be helpful and protect his family and their meager belongings. He's very brave and perhaps reckless but he saves the day. Their parents love their children and indulge them when and how they can. They also share their traditional foods and clothing with their children so they haven't lost sight of their identity. There's no question they're Chinese. The author believes Lily wouldn't consider herself American because of the extreme racism and segregation the Chinese faced at that time in San Francisco but I think Lily would consider herself both Chinese AND American. She goes to school, has learned to speak and read English well and her favorite book is an American classic. I'd like to know what her future holds and what will happen to the family.
The books include an author's note on the history behind the story. Even though the author is of Chinese descent and lived in San Francisco growing up, she didn't know much about the Chinese Exclusion Act or the extreme racism against Chinese immigrants in San Francisco until she did research for the book. She states the story was based on a real Chinese-American girl named Lily who survived the earthquake. In the back of the book there are discussion questions to get the young reader to think about parallels between then and now.
The writing isn't as sophisticated as American Girl or Dear America. It's more for a younger crowd but better than AG's Real Stories from My Time and better than Scholastic's My America series. They're paperback printed in gray and white and illustrated with full page illustrations and a decorative border. While the writing isn't fabulous, it's not bad-modern but 1906 is kind of modern I guess.
This is an interesting enough book to check out from the library. It's Scholastic level writing, not AG independent level writing, but a good introduction for a reader not ready for AG and Dear America yet.
January 31, 2020
On the night of April 17, 1906, Lily, a Chinese American girl living in San Francisco's Chinatown, is celebrating her 12th birthday with her family, mother, father and younger brother Lee and baby sister June, friends and neighbors including elderly Mr. Quan. As a big surprise, Lily is given a copy of her favorite book, The Wizard of Oz and that night, she reads some of it to her brother before bed. But early the next morning, the earth begins to shake, and it keeps shaking as Lily and Lee crouch under the kitchen table while their home begins to fall apart and crumble around them. An earthquake is a scary experience, and this one was a big one, but as Lily and Lee wait to be found, trapped and in darkness, she reminds Lee about the cowardly lion who found needed courage within himself.
Finally, their father locates the siblings and together they dig out of the debris. No one is seriously hurt, except their mom has a badly sprained ankle. It is agreed that Lily and Lee will go ahead with Mr. Quan to the Ferry Building where they will all meet up and take the ferry across the bay to Oakland. The going is slow, partly because everyone else in San Francisco has the same idea, and partly because they are going with Jade See Young, a young women who has bound feet.
As the city of San Francisco burns around them, and people push pass them to escape, Lily and Lee quickly lose sight of Mr. Quan and Jade. On their own now, Lily and Lee are faced instances of racism, with people who push them out of their way, and others who are happy to see Chinatown razed and would like the Chinese people to go back to China. More and more, Lily reminds herself and Lee about how the lion, the scarecrow, and the tinman from her book also had to deal with adversity as they traveled to the Emerald City. But inside, even Lily is worried. Will they be able to find Mr. Quan and Jade? And will they be able to find their parents at the overly crowded Ferry Building, with everyone else trying to get on a boat to get to safety?
Lily and the Great Quake is the fourth book in the Girls Survive series. It is a wonderful chapter book that is filled with information about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, as well as instances of Chinese culture, but it also doesn't shy away from dealing with issues of racism towards Chinese people.
There are plenty of black and white illustrations throughout the book that really capture the destruction an earthquake can cause. Back matter includes an Author's Note, with photographs of San Francisco in the aftermath of the earthquake, a Glossary, and suggestions for reader to Make Connections.
Lily and the Great Quake is the perfect book for celebrating Multicultural Children's Book Day, a great book to read anytime, and to share with other young readers. I can't recommend this book highly enough.
I was gifted this book to review for MCBD2020.
Finally, their father locates the siblings and together they dig out of the debris. No one is seriously hurt, except their mom has a badly sprained ankle. It is agreed that Lily and Lee will go ahead with Mr. Quan to the Ferry Building where they will all meet up and take the ferry across the bay to Oakland. The going is slow, partly because everyone else in San Francisco has the same idea, and partly because they are going with Jade See Young, a young women who has bound feet.
As the city of San Francisco burns around them, and people push pass them to escape, Lily and Lee quickly lose sight of Mr. Quan and Jade. On their own now, Lily and Lee are faced instances of racism, with people who push them out of their way, and others who are happy to see Chinatown razed and would like the Chinese people to go back to China. More and more, Lily reminds herself and Lee about how the lion, the scarecrow, and the tinman from her book also had to deal with adversity as they traveled to the Emerald City. But inside, even Lily is worried. Will they be able to find Mr. Quan and Jade? And will they be able to find their parents at the overly crowded Ferry Building, with everyone else trying to get on a boat to get to safety?
Lily and the Great Quake is the fourth book in the Girls Survive series. It is a wonderful chapter book that is filled with information about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, as well as instances of Chinese culture, but it also doesn't shy away from dealing with issues of racism towards Chinese people.
There are plenty of black and white illustrations throughout the book that really capture the destruction an earthquake can cause. Back matter includes an Author's Note, with photographs of San Francisco in the aftermath of the earthquake, a Glossary, and suggestions for reader to Make Connections.
Lily and the Great Quake is the perfect book for celebrating Multicultural Children's Book Day, a great book to read anytime, and to share with other young readers. I can't recommend this book highly enough.
I was gifted this book to review for MCBD2020.
December 7, 2021
This is one of the best Girls Survive books that I have read so far. All of the different elements of the story come together well, and it covers a lot of historical information organically within the character's experience, without any of it feeling tacked-on. I also enjoyed the historical tie-in of Lily loving The Wizard of Oz, since it was such a popular book during that era. I enjoyed seeing how she connected the characters' experiences to her own as a way to choose courage and perseverance in the face of difficult odds.
The story is suspenseful and has a satisfying ending. The ending is mostly happy while still being honest about the devastation that occurred for San Francisco and the Chinese community in particular, and the author's note at the end includes historical photographs and additional information about history of Chinese immigrants in America and the discrimination that they faced. The book tackles heavy topics without seeming preachy or contrived, and is suitable for a wide age range.
The story is suspenseful and has a satisfying ending. The ending is mostly happy while still being honest about the devastation that occurred for San Francisco and the Chinese community in particular, and the author's note at the end includes historical photographs and additional information about history of Chinese immigrants in America and the discrimination that they faced. The book tackles heavy topics without seeming preachy or contrived, and is suitable for a wide age range.
April 16, 2026
I want to start off this review by saying I really enjoyed the book “Lily and the Great Quake” by Veeda Bybee. It contained an exceptional amount of information about the San Francisco Earthquake that occurred in 1906 while also maintaining a good pace that helped show the story was moving forward. Right away, I could tell this story occurred in the past when it described Lily’s brother wanting “to have his own horse more than anything in the world” and their “Father had to keep him from trying to pet the workhorses pulling wagons in the street.” Before reading this book, I was unaware of the San Francisco earthquake and its effect on Chinatown. But, because of these details, I was able to place myself in a San Francisco that is much different than the modern day one.
One of the creative liberties that I noticed Bybee took was the narrative detail of the birthday party for Lily as well as the book she received, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” As someone who loves books, I was able to put myself in the shoes of Lily. Every time I am able to get a new book, it is a good day. This is where the similarities end between me and Lily. In 1906, Chinese Americans weren’t treated well, and this book really opened my eyes to that fact. When Lily’s father said that “There are those who say it is dirty and uncivilized. They call us vermin, wild animals who carry disease. They say there are too many Chinese crammed in this neighborhood,” it really put into context the discrimination those who lived in Chinatown. When we learn the history of America in school, we often brush back the discrimination Chinese Americans face.
As an author for young readers, Bybee also provided information on the background of Chinese Americans. She describes the Chinese Exclusion Act that was passed in 1882 that “prevented Chinese people from moving to the United States.” Although my age makes me privy to this information, it was a nice reminder and acts as a teaching moment for young readers. Bybee didn’t include this information for no purpose, she was able to tie it into the context of her main character Lily. She had “never met [her] Mother’s older sisters and brothers. They had returned to China, and because of the Chinese Exclusion Act, could not come back.” This is a harsh reality. As someone who greatly values the relationship I have with my aunts and uncles, it’s a saddening truth that many Chinese people who lived in Chinatown were separated from their family back home. The current generation of today are facing an epidemic of loneliness similar to the loneliness you face after being separated from your family.
Overall, Bybee did a fabulous job of representing the hardship of these people. It was a very eye-opening read despite it being a quick one. I also appreciated that she based this story off an account of a girl who also “heard cats screeching the night before the devastating earthquake” and “traveled with a woman with bound feet.” These both appeared in the story that followed her fictional character and this representation helps to capture the emotion of that day. Using these accurate details helped make the story come to live. This story taught me a lot and has reminded me that I need to be brave just like Lily and stand up for what is right.
One of the creative liberties that I noticed Bybee took was the narrative detail of the birthday party for Lily as well as the book she received, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” As someone who loves books, I was able to put myself in the shoes of Lily. Every time I am able to get a new book, it is a good day. This is where the similarities end between me and Lily. In 1906, Chinese Americans weren’t treated well, and this book really opened my eyes to that fact. When Lily’s father said that “There are those who say it is dirty and uncivilized. They call us vermin, wild animals who carry disease. They say there are too many Chinese crammed in this neighborhood,” it really put into context the discrimination those who lived in Chinatown. When we learn the history of America in school, we often brush back the discrimination Chinese Americans face.
As an author for young readers, Bybee also provided information on the background of Chinese Americans. She describes the Chinese Exclusion Act that was passed in 1882 that “prevented Chinese people from moving to the United States.” Although my age makes me privy to this information, it was a nice reminder and acts as a teaching moment for young readers. Bybee didn’t include this information for no purpose, she was able to tie it into the context of her main character Lily. She had “never met [her] Mother’s older sisters and brothers. They had returned to China, and because of the Chinese Exclusion Act, could not come back.” This is a harsh reality. As someone who greatly values the relationship I have with my aunts and uncles, it’s a saddening truth that many Chinese people who lived in Chinatown were separated from their family back home. The current generation of today are facing an epidemic of loneliness similar to the loneliness you face after being separated from your family.
Overall, Bybee did a fabulous job of representing the hardship of these people. It was a very eye-opening read despite it being a quick one. I also appreciated that she based this story off an account of a girl who also “heard cats screeching the night before the devastating earthquake” and “traveled with a woman with bound feet.” These both appeared in the story that followed her fictional character and this representation helps to capture the emotion of that day. Using these accurate details helped make the story come to live. This story taught me a lot and has reminded me that I need to be brave just like Lily and stand up for what is right.
January 18, 2021
After they awake to their Chinatown San Francisco home shaking apart in an earthquake on April 18, 1906, Lily and her brother Lee are sent by their father to head to the ferry to Oakland on their own with some neighbors and they'll reconnect there. Their mother has a injured leg and their father is waiting for a cart to come to transport her. It isn't long after Lily and Lee set out that they are separated from their neighbors and have to try and manage the journey on their own in a city that is not very kind to the Chinese. But Lily is taking inspiration from her favorite story, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and using it to help inspire her brother too. If they are brave, smart, kind, and persevering like the Oz characters, maybe they can make it.
This is the first Girls Survive book I've read, and I was quite impressed for the level of historical detail and writing/design quality for a series that is getting cranked out pretty fast. I learned some things I didn't know before about the San Francisco quake, especially Chinatown, and this is the 2nd book I've read on the quake from a Chinese American's perspective. I liked the level of tension Bybee settled on for the story. It is serious, but not too serious. They face some racial prejudice and encounter other dangers on their journey, but it isn't anywhere near as bad as it could have been. It's just enough to convey to readers a touch of what it would have been like to have been in San Francisco at the time without going into details that could traumatize more sensitive readers. This is a good historical fiction/survival tale for kids who may be reluctant to try either genre. It would also make a good read aloud for classes studying this history of Asians, especially the Chinese, in America. The racial issues are handled very tactfully in a way that says we need to be better than these people in the past, and not wallowing in horridness. I liked the inclusion of Lily's love of the Oz story. It helps give modern readers some common ground with Lily, and the way she used it as inspiration was believable and points out why the story has endured so long. Highly recommended.
Notes on content: No language issues. (Some unkind racial remarks, but no racial slurs.) No sexual content. Lily thinks that she doesn't want to look at falling down houses too much in case she should see legs sticking out like the Wicked Witch's. They face unkindness, but no violence. The injuries they do see aren't serious, except for a dead horse mentioned in passing.
This is the first Girls Survive book I've read, and I was quite impressed for the level of historical detail and writing/design quality for a series that is getting cranked out pretty fast. I learned some things I didn't know before about the San Francisco quake, especially Chinatown, and this is the 2nd book I've read on the quake from a Chinese American's perspective. I liked the level of tension Bybee settled on for the story. It is serious, but not too serious. They face some racial prejudice and encounter other dangers on their journey, but it isn't anywhere near as bad as it could have been. It's just enough to convey to readers a touch of what it would have been like to have been in San Francisco at the time without going into details that could traumatize more sensitive readers. This is a good historical fiction/survival tale for kids who may be reluctant to try either genre. It would also make a good read aloud for classes studying this history of Asians, especially the Chinese, in America. The racial issues are handled very tactfully in a way that says we need to be better than these people in the past, and not wallowing in horridness. I liked the inclusion of Lily's love of the Oz story. It helps give modern readers some common ground with Lily, and the way she used it as inspiration was believable and points out why the story has endured so long. Highly recommended.
Notes on content: No language issues. (Some unkind racial remarks, but no racial slurs.) No sexual content. Lily thinks that she doesn't want to look at falling down houses too much in case she should see legs sticking out like the Wicked Witch's. They face unkindness, but no violence. The injuries they do see aren't serious, except for a dead horse mentioned in passing.
May 21, 2025
This is a great series for fans of I Survived. It's kinda like the vibes of both I Survived and the historic American Girl books.
A couple of points that I like about the Girl's Survive series:
-It is diverse. While the I Survived book about the San Francisco earthquake features a white boy, this book features a a young girl who is Chinese-American. Considering the context of the story, this makes more sense of a person to feature, but it also prevents it from being a copy-paste of the I Survived story, meaning fans of that one will still get new information out of this story.
-It is written by "own voice" authors, or authors who are the nationality/ethnicity/etc. of the characters in the story. I love that!
-The books often tell stories of underrepresented disasters in history. Mary and the Trail of Tears: A Cherokee Removal Survival Story, Lena and the Burning of Greenwood: A Tulsa Race Massacre Survival Story, and Faye and the Dangerous Journey: An Ojibwe Removal Survival Story are all examples of this, though there are many more. This will keep things fresh for fans of I Survived, as they will be able to learn about more stories!
-At the end of every book they have notes from the author giving more details about what was true about the story. Very interesting stuff!
All in all, this series is a much needed addition to the middle grade survival series. Would highly recommend for purchase in a middle grade library, especially libraries where survival books are popular.
This book in particular has obvious historic relevance, but some other points of the book I liked:
1) Showing books can teach you life lessons (Lily carries around a copy of The Wizard of Oz and gets inspired by the book throughout the story). I can see this being a great talking point for parents or educators who are trying to get their kids to connect more to literature!
2) Showing a shy girl growing and gaining confidence and courage. I think a lot of kids will relate to this!
3) the book was not afraid to show racism in an age appropriate way. Literature like this can help us navigate this situation!
A couple of points that I like about the Girl's Survive series:
-It is diverse. While the I Survived book about the San Francisco earthquake features a white boy, this book features a a young girl who is Chinese-American. Considering the context of the story, this makes more sense of a person to feature, but it also prevents it from being a copy-paste of the I Survived story, meaning fans of that one will still get new information out of this story.
-It is written by "own voice" authors, or authors who are the nationality/ethnicity/etc. of the characters in the story. I love that!
-The books often tell stories of underrepresented disasters in history. Mary and the Trail of Tears: A Cherokee Removal Survival Story, Lena and the Burning of Greenwood: A Tulsa Race Massacre Survival Story, and Faye and the Dangerous Journey: An Ojibwe Removal Survival Story are all examples of this, though there are many more. This will keep things fresh for fans of I Survived, as they will be able to learn about more stories!
-At the end of every book they have notes from the author giving more details about what was true about the story. Very interesting stuff!
All in all, this series is a much needed addition to the middle grade survival series. Would highly recommend for purchase in a middle grade library, especially libraries where survival books are popular.
This book in particular has obvious historic relevance, but some other points of the book I liked:
1) Showing books can teach you life lessons (Lily carries around a copy of The Wizard of Oz and gets inspired by the book throughout the story). I can see this being a great talking point for parents or educators who are trying to get their kids to connect more to literature!
2) Showing a shy girl growing and gaining confidence and courage. I think a lot of kids will relate to this!
3) the book was not afraid to show racism in an age appropriate way. Literature like this can help us navigate this situation!
April 15, 2026
Veeda Bybee creates a full, rich picture of the past with her endearing cast of characters in "Lily and the Great Quake." While she includes many clever concrete details that make these children—Lily and Lee, specifically—perfectly at home in the past, Bybee is mindful of her young audience and doesn’t get too deep into the nitty-gritty things of what exactly Lily’s family would eat while searching for shelter, post-earthquake, or the exact styles of Lily or Lee’s clothing. Such things would likely be overwhelming for a young reader to parse through and keep track of while enjoying the story (and possibly even alienate them, despite how interesting history-loving adults like myself may find those kinds of details).
However, what I found especially impressive when reading this was the way such powerful, complex emotions were conveyed via rather simple language. When Lily received her birthday gift—a copy of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz—I couldn’t help tearing up over: “I didn’t have to worry about giving it up for another student to borrow. This was a book just for me.” It really made me so very grateful for the gifts I’ve received over the years (birthday or otherwise), and I admire how Bybee managed to represent so many things within those two sentences, such as Lily’s family’s poverty as well as why a book would be such a precious gift to a girl like her, without creating overly long sentences that would make any elementary schooler reading lose interest.
The characterization of Lily and Lee through the media they consumed was also adorable to read. Additionally, it was something I think modern children can very much relate to, even if they don’t identify as much with Dorothy or cowboys as they might with a certain trio of demon hunters or with power rangers nowadays. Definitely a fun read for your kids, nieces, or nephews! And it’s a great conversation starter for discussing the harder parts of history with them.
However, what I found especially impressive when reading this was the way such powerful, complex emotions were conveyed via rather simple language. When Lily received her birthday gift—a copy of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz—I couldn’t help tearing up over: “I didn’t have to worry about giving it up for another student to borrow. This was a book just for me.” It really made me so very grateful for the gifts I’ve received over the years (birthday or otherwise), and I admire how Bybee managed to represent so many things within those two sentences, such as Lily’s family’s poverty as well as why a book would be such a precious gift to a girl like her, without creating overly long sentences that would make any elementary schooler reading lose interest.
The characterization of Lily and Lee through the media they consumed was also adorable to read. Additionally, it was something I think modern children can very much relate to, even if they don’t identify as much with Dorothy or cowboys as they might with a certain trio of demon hunters or with power rangers nowadays. Definitely a fun read for your kids, nieces, or nephews! And it’s a great conversation starter for discussing the harder parts of history with them.
November 20, 2024
Lily was so brave through the whole story, from the nerves she felt at her birthday party, to the cats being odd, to the earthquake, being separated from everyone and having to be strong for her brother she was such an incredibly brave and strong girl. Plus hearing everyone be mean, hearing what they were doing to her home, worrying if she’d ever see her family again, she had so much to deal with in such a short period of time.
I’d never heard of the Chinese exclusion act prior to reading this, but goodness what a disgusting act that was put into place. The people around Lily and Lee were so horrid and such vile humans. It was so sad reading the way they were treated all due to the act and hatred in people hearts.
This story was so gripping to me though, Lily was amazing and went through so much. I loved the way that she was so connected to The Wizard of Oz and that it’s what gave her all her strength to keep going even during the scariest times. The journey that she and her brother went on to find safety knowing that things were all scary and being destroyed was intense but she didn’t give up once.
I really eanjoyed this book it was really sad and heartbreaking but written so beautifully and I learnt so much I didn’t know about before. Lily was such a pure kind hearted girl and though so many that surrounded her spread hatred she didn’t, nor did she let it get to her.
I’d never heard of the Chinese exclusion act prior to reading this, but goodness what a disgusting act that was put into place. The people around Lily and Lee were so horrid and such vile humans. It was so sad reading the way they were treated all due to the act and hatred in people hearts.
This story was so gripping to me though, Lily was amazing and went through so much. I loved the way that she was so connected to The Wizard of Oz and that it’s what gave her all her strength to keep going even during the scariest times. The journey that she and her brother went on to find safety knowing that things were all scary and being destroyed was intense but she didn’t give up once.
I really eanjoyed this book it was really sad and heartbreaking but written so beautifully and I learnt so much I didn’t know about before. Lily was such a pure kind hearted girl and though so many that surrounded her spread hatred she didn’t, nor did she let it get to her.
January 8, 2022
3.5 rounded up.
Lily and the Great Quake tells the story of Lily, a just turned 12 year old Chinese American girl who survives the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. From this Girls survive series I have also read Mary and the Trail of Tears. I like that both books tackle issues of racism during historical events that aren’t as well known. This was a very short book, just over 100 pages. Due to the length I never really viscerally felt the danger and fear Lily experienced. However the length and text size make this great for both reluctant readers and those who aren’t yet ready for more in depth chapter books. I think the content level is also age appropriate, hate and discrimination towards the Chinese community are seen but no one is physically attacksd and we never “see” anyone die although obvious death is alluded to.
Lily and the Great Quake tells the story of Lily, a just turned 12 year old Chinese American girl who survives the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. From this Girls survive series I have also read Mary and the Trail of Tears. I like that both books tackle issues of racism during historical events that aren’t as well known. This was a very short book, just over 100 pages. Due to the length I never really viscerally felt the danger and fear Lily experienced. However the length and text size make this great for both reluctant readers and those who aren’t yet ready for more in depth chapter books. I think the content level is also age appropriate, hate and discrimination towards the Chinese community are seen but no one is physically attacksd and we never “see” anyone die although obvious death is alluded to.
June 16, 2021
The say after her 12 year old birthday, Lily and her family survive the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Separated from her parents, Lily and her brother must brave a long walk, hostile crowds and racist acts to find their way to safety. The story is well told, and I really appreciated the connection Lily feels between what is happening to her and the adventures of Dorothy in Oz, her favorite book. I also loved seeing her find her voice as the journey unfolds. Veede Bybee shares that she grew up in San Francisco as a Chinese American and never learned the history of what happened to Chinese immigrants during this period of time. So glad she is able to correct that omission for young readers today.
June 5, 2022
This is a graphic novel which covers two areas: the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the Chinese American culture and how people react to it.
Kily is 12 and things seem to be going normally until the earthquake. She has to somehow get to a safe area, dealing with aftershocks, ultra-rude people and the fires that are breaking out. She has to deal with all of that plus panicking crowds of people. Her goal is to somehow re-unite with her family without becoming a victim of the quake.
The book also has information about the quake, a glossary and a section called Making Connections which can serve as essay questions or discussion questions.
A think the book works well on both counts and is good for younger people.
Kily is 12 and things seem to be going normally until the earthquake. She has to somehow get to a safe area, dealing with aftershocks, ultra-rude people and the fires that are breaking out. She has to deal with all of that plus panicking crowds of people. Her goal is to somehow re-unite with her family without becoming a victim of the quake.
The book also has information about the quake, a glossary and a section called Making Connections which can serve as essay questions or discussion questions.
A think the book works well on both counts and is good for younger people.
August 13, 2020
This might be my new jam - diverse stories from American history that don't gloss over the terrible people. Anyway, this is a quick historical fiction read for the likes of the "I Survived" crowd. It is awesome and I loved both Lily and her brother.
October 23, 2021
This was my favorite of the Girls Survive series so far! Lily felt the most characterized out of all the main girls, plus this was an event in history I didn’t know about. I only wish there had been a little more closure or a look forward for Lily’s family and the neighbors they were close to.
January 9, 2023
This is a really good story. I really love this series of books. It's interesting to see how the author portrays racism in the books for young readers. I would recommend these books to anyone who likes to I Survived books.
February 16, 2020
I like Girls Survive because it teaches me about scary things that happened a long time ago like earthquakes, deadly flus, and people being mean.
August 9, 2020
Loved the perspective of Lily and her Chinese family during the SanFran earthquake.
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December 23, 2020This looks like a fantastic series for youth. I appreciated the historical context and glossary and also am glad to see it is written by a Chinese American author.
December 24, 2021
This one had a lot going on in the short story it was.
July 16, 2023
Wow, I had never even heard of the Chinese Exclusion Act before this book! I really appreciate that this series doesn't shy away from the atrocities of America's past.
October 30, 2023
This was wonderful!! I want to get everyone of this series!
October 31, 2025
Eh. Tarshis does it better. These are fine, but the kids seem kinda generic and not really rooted in the history.
January 31, 2020
This engaging book packs much for readers to ponder into its compact form. As someone who has spent most of her life living in the San Francisco Bay Area I gained new perspective on this event and period in my local history. I was given a copy of this book to review for Multicultural Children's Book Day. My complete review is here: https://karinfisher-golton.com/2020/0...
May 13, 2026
An excellent book that shows students the issues the Chinese faced during this time in history in a way students can understand.
October 30, 2023
WHOO, GO LILY!!
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