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Earthquake at Dawn Rev Pa
It's April 18, 1906, and a powerful earthquake has just rocked San Francisco. Photographer Edith Irvine and her assistant, Daisy Valentine, survive the tragedy. Armed with Edith's camera, the two women set out to document the devastation--even as buildings crumble around them and soldiers promise to shoot anyone trying to photograph the crippled city.
Based on the real-life experience of photographer Edith Irvine, this harrowing tale of bravery and survival includes many of Irvine's now-famous photographs.
Based on the real-life experience of photographer Edith Irvine, this harrowing tale of bravery and survival includes many of Irvine's now-famous photographs.
194 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
3 people are currently reading
299 people want to read
About the author
Kristiana Gregory
73 books339 followersKristiana Gregory grew up in Manhattan Beach, California, two blocks from the ocean. She's always loved to make up stories [ask her family!], telling her younger siblings whoppers that would leave them wide-eyed and shivering. Her first rejection letter at age ten was for a poem she wrote in class when she was supposed to be doing a math assignment. She's had a myriad of odd jobs: telephone operator, lifeguard, camp counselor, reporter, book reviewer & columnist for the LA Times, and finally author.
Her award-winning books include STALKED, which earned the 2012 Gold Medal for Young Adult Mystery from Literary Classics and is hailed as "historical fiction with a thrilling twist." KIRKUS calls it "an atmospheric confection that will thrill YA readers ... Gregory achieves a realistic, rich atmosphere with insightful details about the immigration process and New York tenements in the early 1900s." Now available on Kindle and in paperback.
JENNY OF THE TETONS [Harcourt] won the Golden Kite Award in 1989 and was the first of two-dozen historical novels for middle grade readers. Several of Kristiana's titles are now available on Kindle including "Curiously Odd Stories: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2" with the celebrated 'Paper Monument', a futuristic book-banning with horrific consequences.
BRONTE'S BOOK CLUB [Holiday House] is set in a town by the sea and is inspired by the girls' book club Kristiana led for several years.
Her most recent title with Scholastic's Dear America series is CANNONS AT DAWN, a sequel to the best-selling THE WINTER OF RED SNOW, which was made into a movie for the HBO Family Channel.
New re-releases in ebooks and paperback on Amazon:
**PRAIRIE RIVER SERIES #1-4
**ORPHAN RUNAWAYS: THE PERILOUS ESCAPE TO BODIE
**CABIN CREEK MYSTERIES #7: THE PHANTOM OF HIDDEN HORSE RANCH
**THE WAITING LIGHT: CLEMENTINE'S STORY -- originally titled "My Darlin' Clementine" [Holiday House] this riveting historical mystery takes place in an Idaho mining camp of 1866, and was Idaho's representative for the 2010 National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Library of Congress.
Kristiana and her husband have two adult sons, and live in Idaho with their two golden retrievers. In her spare time she loves to swim, walk, hike, read, and hang out with friends. She's trying to learn to knit, but isn't yet having much success.
Check out Kristiana's blogs at http://notesfromthesunroom.blogspot.com/ for behind-the-scenes stories about her books, and with photos from her childhood.
Her award-winning books include STALKED, which earned the 2012 Gold Medal for Young Adult Mystery from Literary Classics and is hailed as "historical fiction with a thrilling twist." KIRKUS calls it "an atmospheric confection that will thrill YA readers ... Gregory achieves a realistic, rich atmosphere with insightful details about the immigration process and New York tenements in the early 1900s." Now available on Kindle and in paperback.
JENNY OF THE TETONS [Harcourt] won the Golden Kite Award in 1989 and was the first of two-dozen historical novels for middle grade readers. Several of Kristiana's titles are now available on Kindle including "Curiously Odd Stories: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2" with the celebrated 'Paper Monument', a futuristic book-banning with horrific consequences.
BRONTE'S BOOK CLUB [Holiday House] is set in a town by the sea and is inspired by the girls' book club Kristiana led for several years.
Her most recent title with Scholastic's Dear America series is CANNONS AT DAWN, a sequel to the best-selling THE WINTER OF RED SNOW, which was made into a movie for the HBO Family Channel.
New re-releases in ebooks and paperback on Amazon:
**PRAIRIE RIVER SERIES #1-4
**ORPHAN RUNAWAYS: THE PERILOUS ESCAPE TO BODIE
**CABIN CREEK MYSTERIES #7: THE PHANTOM OF HIDDEN HORSE RANCH
**THE WAITING LIGHT: CLEMENTINE'S STORY -- originally titled "My Darlin' Clementine" [Holiday House] this riveting historical mystery takes place in an Idaho mining camp of 1866, and was Idaho's representative for the 2010 National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Library of Congress.
Kristiana and her husband have two adult sons, and live in Idaho with their two golden retrievers. In her spare time she loves to swim, walk, hike, read, and hang out with friends. She's trying to learn to knit, but isn't yet having much success.
Check out Kristiana's blogs at http://notesfromthesunroom.blogspot.com/ for behind-the-scenes stories about her books, and with photos from her childhood.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
February 25, 2020
The first several chapters were okay, but it wasn't until mid-story that I realized this book would rate 4 stars.
Of course I knew something about the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco, but I'd never heard of Edith Irvine and her photographs. Nor did I realize that local officials tried to downplay the disaster, fearing that the facts would be disastrous for the city's financial future.
Six of Irvine's photos are reproduced in the book, but the images are dark. This is where the Internet comes in handy -- I could see more of Irvine's photos and verify what I had just read in this book.
Of course I knew something about the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco, but I'd never heard of Edith Irvine and her photographs. Nor did I realize that local officials tried to downplay the disaster, fearing that the facts would be disastrous for the city's financial future.
Six of Irvine's photos are reproduced in the book, but the images are dark. This is where the Internet comes in handy -- I could see more of Irvine's photos and verify what I had just read in this book.
January 31, 2014
This is historical fiction at its best: a tragic and fascinating story based on and including primary sources. In a strange convergence, Edith Irvine, 22, was in a boat about to dock at 5:12 a.m. April 18, when the shaking and quaking of the 1906 Earthquake began.
A photojournalist at heart, she went into the city and started to take pictures. She had to be surreptitious, because the city government wanted to minimize both the death toll and the damage. With martial law in effect, Irvine took great risks in documenting the destruction.
A few sentences from a letter written on May 1, 2006 by Mary Exa Atkins Campbell head every chapter.
"Streams of people in white and colored garments poured into the streets and for a time we remained, a mourning, groaning, sobbing, wailing, weeping and praying crowd. The most pathetic of all were the poor half-clad women clasping little infants in their arms and begging for mercy."
Martial law went into effect, with no due process regarding crime. Mary Exa, again:
"The big fire in the mission [district] was caused by a man and woman who, after being made to put out the first fire they made, built another as soon as the policeman left. He came back, saw what they had done, called them out and shot them dead."
Hordes of people were displaced; they camped out at Golden Gate Park Mary Exa wrote that sixteen little babies were born in the Park the day after the quake and one woman had triplets.
Edith Irvine overwhelmed my imagination. Irvine, CA, is named after her family. I have been slowly browsing the 293 photos in the online collection at Brigham Young University. There are photos of Yosemite, the mining town she grew up in, dams being built, cats, horses, portraits and scenes from everyday life.
A photojournalist at heart, she went into the city and started to take pictures. She had to be surreptitious, because the city government wanted to minimize both the death toll and the damage. With martial law in effect, Irvine took great risks in documenting the destruction.
A few sentences from a letter written on May 1, 2006 by Mary Exa Atkins Campbell head every chapter.
"Streams of people in white and colored garments poured into the streets and for a time we remained, a mourning, groaning, sobbing, wailing, weeping and praying crowd. The most pathetic of all were the poor half-clad women clasping little infants in their arms and begging for mercy."
Martial law went into effect, with no due process regarding crime. Mary Exa, again:
"The big fire in the mission [district] was caused by a man and woman who, after being made to put out the first fire they made, built another as soon as the policeman left. He came back, saw what they had done, called them out and shot them dead."
Hordes of people were displaced; they camped out at Golden Gate Park Mary Exa wrote that sixteen little babies were born in the Park the day after the quake and one woman had triplets.
Edith Irvine overwhelmed my imagination. Irvine, CA, is named after her family. I have been slowly browsing the 293 photos in the online collection at Brigham Young University. There are photos of Yosemite, the mining town she grew up in, dams being built, cats, horses, portraits and scenes from everyday life.
September 20, 2014
This wasn't a bad book by any means, but it wasn't a great one either. It's a solid 'meh' for me. There were really great moments, and the disbelief and outrage the characters felt at the end was very well written, as was some of the imagery, but it still didn't really capture me.
December 29, 2019
For a preteen read, this was actually one of the most horrific books I've read in a long time. I didn't know much at all about this event so it was a very interesting, if super fast, read. I didn't realize there was such an effort to cover up the extent of the damage and death toll, but with no rapid means of nationwide reporting, I suppose it wasn't too difficult to do. I was shocked by the extreme measures the authorities took with people who disobeyed minor laws or took advantage of vulnerable situations. Shooting dead a person who charged $1.25 for a loaf of bread, shooting dead a couple who made a fire in their home after being told not to. I guess I thought this point of history was past that sort of behaviour, but I guess San Francisco was still the "old West" in those days...
I very rarely read children's or young adult fiction, but I found this one informative enough that I was able to overlook some of the predictability or coincidental stuff that usually annoys me about juvenile literature.
I very rarely read children's or young adult fiction, but I found this one informative enough that I was able to overlook some of the predictability or coincidental stuff that usually annoys me about juvenile literature.
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October 17, 2020i think i read this book and making a report back in the middle school... what i remember was that one character was real and the narrator wasn’t. often it makes me sad that while i recall myself enjoying it, i don’t remember most of the book (which is basically every book besides ASOUE).
i wish that i could go into my old elementary middle school’s library to browse around for books that i once read :(. that reminds me of when i sometimes used to pretend to read books while marveling at the letters and book pages during my classes and recess time. :’)
i wish that i could go into my old elementary middle school’s library to browse around for books that i once read :(. that reminds me of when i sometimes used to pretend to read books while marveling at the letters and book pages during my classes and recess time. :’)
July 23, 2024
A Childhood Fav that Stood the Test of Time
I read this book countless times as a child. Now that I am on Goodreads and consistently rating the books I read, I wanted to see if this book truly is the five-star book I’ve always held it in my heart to be. It absolutely is. This book is written simply enough for a child to read and enjoy, and yet, that simplicity somehow magnifies the devastation it depicts. I had chills, I laughed, I sobbed, multiple times. I will forever hold this book near and dear to my heart.
I read this book countless times as a child. Now that I am on Goodreads and consistently rating the books I read, I wanted to see if this book truly is the five-star book I’ve always held it in my heart to be. It absolutely is. This book is written simply enough for a child to read and enjoy, and yet, that simplicity somehow magnifies the devastation it depicts. I had chills, I laughed, I sobbed, multiple times. I will forever hold this book near and dear to my heart.
June 2, 2018
Did not notice before starting this book that it was written for young readers. For them it might be a 4 star because they may learn many things about the times and events. For me, not so. It was far more fiction than history.
July 16, 2019
This is an interesting children’s historical fiction about the 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco. Although slightly cheesy, it was engaging and actually pretty informative about the event and the subsequent attempt by those in power to hide the full extent of the damage.
February 20, 2022
It was ok I learned about earthquakes and had to do assignment over this book for school.
November 13, 2024
Can't decide whether or not I enjoyed reading this book. It's about an earthquake/fire, so it is both sad and interesting.
December 22, 2024
This book seemed more interesting in middle school
April 20, 2025
a very interesting story. it wasn't what I thought it would be but I would recommend it.
January 1, 2026
Good read about the 1906 earthquake. A young photographer happens to be there the day the earthquake hits. Very sad and devastating. She hides her photos and no one sees them for 80 years.
March 6, 2017
This book is an interesting read on "The Great Fire," and it explains why it is not "The Great Earthquake." It certainly sparked my interest in the San Francisco earthquake of 1906!
December 23, 2012
I'm on the fence as to whether or not I should give "Earthquake at Dawn" 3 stars or 3.5 stars.
I finished "Earthquake at Dawn" at 1AM because I couldn't sleep but ended up having mixed reactions about it. I felt no connection to the main characters, which surprised me. The book had potential with Edith Irvine as its main character; she was a fascinating female photographer who, at age 22, survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and broke the law by taking pictures of the aftermath. And not just a few pictures, but around sixty. Under the conditions she was working and the fact that it was 1906 photography with glass plates, that is really impressive! However, Ms. Gregory decided to introduce a fictional character, Daisy Valentine, to be both narrator and Edith assistant. All potential for an interesting heroine went down the drain very quickly. Daisy is, to be frank, a very boring narrator when Edith herself had huge narrating potential.
The saving grace of this book is thanks to Mary Exa's 32 page letter. Mary Exa survived the earthquake and wrote a thirty-two page letter that gave great details about her experiences. In Ms. Gregory's story, Daisy and Edith meet Mary Exa and the refugees she stayed with during the aftermath and, in that manner, experience the things through Daisy and Edith that the real life Mary Exa experienced. It gave great detail and I learned a lot about the aftermath through it. It was fascinating. In fact, I think I'd rather have read Mary Exa's thirty-two page letter! Every chapter began with a short excerpt from Mary Exa's letter, which foretold what would happen in the forthcoming chapter. To be honest, Mary Exa's letter is the sole reason I'd give this book 3.5 stars. It was fascinating and I learned a lot... but I have never found a pair of young heroines so disinteresting.
One other small note: Religion. There's a few spots where religion just pops up out of nowhere and it feels awkward and a little forced, but then it made a bit more sense when I read the Discussion With The Author and everything was"God, God, Bible, God". It was odd, though, the way she sometimes forced a showing of religion into it.
All in all, it was a quick read. Not bad, per se, but not the best either. If you're looking to be entertained, look else. But this book does act as a really good window into what life was like during and after the San Franciscoearthquake, so it's good if you like history.
I finished "Earthquake at Dawn" at 1AM because I couldn't sleep but ended up having mixed reactions about it. I felt no connection to the main characters, which surprised me. The book had potential with Edith Irvine as its main character; she was a fascinating female photographer who, at age 22, survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and broke the law by taking pictures of the aftermath. And not just a few pictures, but around sixty. Under the conditions she was working and the fact that it was 1906 photography with glass plates, that is really impressive! However, Ms. Gregory decided to introduce a fictional character, Daisy Valentine, to be both narrator and Edith assistant. All potential for an interesting heroine went down the drain very quickly. Daisy is, to be frank, a very boring narrator when Edith herself had huge narrating potential.
The saving grace of this book is thanks to Mary Exa's 32 page letter. Mary Exa survived the earthquake and wrote a thirty-two page letter that gave great details about her experiences. In Ms. Gregory's story, Daisy and Edith meet Mary Exa and the refugees she stayed with during the aftermath and, in that manner, experience the things through Daisy and Edith that the real life Mary Exa experienced. It gave great detail and I learned a lot about the aftermath through it. It was fascinating. In fact, I think I'd rather have read Mary Exa's thirty-two page letter! Every chapter began with a short excerpt from Mary Exa's letter, which foretold what would happen in the forthcoming chapter. To be honest, Mary Exa's letter is the sole reason I'd give this book 3.5 stars. It was fascinating and I learned a lot... but I have never found a pair of young heroines so disinteresting.
One other small note: Religion. There's a few spots where religion just pops up out of nowhere and it feels awkward and a little forced, but then it made a bit more sense when I read the Discussion With The Author and everything was"God, God, Bible, God". It was odd, though, the way she sometimes forced a showing of religion into it.
All in all, it was a quick read. Not bad, per se, but not the best either. If you're looking to be entertained, look else. But this book does act as a really good window into what life was like during and after the San Franciscoearthquake, so it's good if you like history.
January 18, 2008
Edith and Daisy watched from their boat as the earthquake struck the city but it was even worse on land. Everything was destroyed and if it wasn't destroyed then it would be destroyed later in aftershocks and fires. The girls got off the boat and followed Mr. Irvine, Edith's father, who was on his way to city hall to get some important papers but they got lost in the crowd and could not find Mr. Irvine who was carrying their boat tickets. Then they meet Mr. and Mrs. Somers by helping Mr. Somers out of a pile of rubble. At the same time they meet Mr. and Mrs. Somer's tenant, the friendly Mary Exa and from that point on they all stuck togetehr like family. Edith, an eager photographer, secretly took picturesof the crumbled city even though it was against the law. If a soldier saw Edith she would be shot because the mayor did not want pictures of the disaster because he thought people would not want to come to San Francisco. Edith and Daisy watched buildings crumble and people die. After the earthquake many fires arose that grew together to create one big fire. Back then they thought dynamiting the city would stop the fire and they had everyone evacuate to one big camp in the park. After a few days of horror and hope, Daisy and Edith take a ship home where they find out whether Mr. Irvine has survivied. . or not. This tragic event led to people helping each other and using hope as a life tool to survive the terrible conditions. Most of all this story is about friendship of two girls going through a tragic event. I enjoyed reading this exciting but sad book. I could never put it down.
February 2, 2016
This book (by Kristiana Gregory) is a fictionalized account of actual events that took place during the San Francisco earthquake of April 18, 1906. It's based on the life of Edith Irvine, a 22-year-old photographer that was in San Francisco on that day.
The story is about Edith, her father and a maid. Her father has business to attend to in the city and he is going on that errand when the earthquake strikes. The rest of the story deals with Edith and her maid attempting to find Edith's father and having to try to survive in the aftermath of the earthquake with fires started by the earthquake and with food and water scarce.
That part itself makes and interesting story but it is made even better by a secondary theme of the story and that is the attempt on the part of San Francisco politicians to cover up the extent of the deaths and damage to the city. Cameras are banned, but Edith is able to hide her camera and equipment in a baby carriage so she is able to take a variety of photos which are reproduced in the book.
The photos are the only problem I have with the book. Granted, the book is stressing authenticity but the photos are simply too dark. It would have been much better if the publisher had allowed the photos to be lightened to reveal the details of what is being shown and then maybe adding a phrase somewhere noting that the photos had been edited to make them more suitable for viewing.
Even with that problem, though, the book is very well worth reading although some of the details of the events are somewhat gruesome and could upset some of the younger readers.
The story is about Edith, her father and a maid. Her father has business to attend to in the city and he is going on that errand when the earthquake strikes. The rest of the story deals with Edith and her maid attempting to find Edith's father and having to try to survive in the aftermath of the earthquake with fires started by the earthquake and with food and water scarce.
That part itself makes and interesting story but it is made even better by a secondary theme of the story and that is the attempt on the part of San Francisco politicians to cover up the extent of the deaths and damage to the city. Cameras are banned, but Edith is able to hide her camera and equipment in a baby carriage so she is able to take a variety of photos which are reproduced in the book.
The photos are the only problem I have with the book. Granted, the book is stressing authenticity but the photos are simply too dark. It would have been much better if the publisher had allowed the photos to be lightened to reveal the details of what is being shown and then maybe adding a phrase somewhere noting that the photos had been edited to make them more suitable for viewing.
Even with that problem, though, the book is very well worth reading although some of the details of the events are somewhat gruesome and could upset some of the younger readers.
October 23, 2015
I like reading books about the San Francisco 1906 earthquake. This book was okay, but not the very good in my opinion.
It had the makings of an interesting storyline: A photographer and her assistant are leaving to go on a worldwide trip. However, just as they are about to embark on their exciting adventure, the pair is stopped in their tracks by the infamous 1906 earthquake. So they are forced to remain in California and forget about their once-in-a-lifetime journey. These two young women must instead help pick up the broken pieces of the city and photograph the disaster through their eyes. They lend a hand any way they are able to, making new friends along the way… even meeting famous author, Jack London.
There were several points in the book that I thought should not be included--things that were slightly inappropriate. I do not think I could really recommend "Earthquake at Dawn" to my own friends. If venturing to read it, minimum age for this book, I'd say 14 & up.
But if you are interested in reading a fictional account of this historic event, I would rather recommend for you to read "Quake!: Disaster in San Francisco, 1906" by Gail Langer Karwoski.
It had the makings of an interesting storyline: A photographer and her assistant are leaving to go on a worldwide trip. However, just as they are about to embark on their exciting adventure, the pair is stopped in their tracks by the infamous 1906 earthquake. So they are forced to remain in California and forget about their once-in-a-lifetime journey. These two young women must instead help pick up the broken pieces of the city and photograph the disaster through their eyes. They lend a hand any way they are able to, making new friends along the way… even meeting famous author, Jack London.
There were several points in the book that I thought should not be included--things that were slightly inappropriate. I do not think I could really recommend "Earthquake at Dawn" to my own friends. If venturing to read it, minimum age for this book, I'd say 14 & up.
But if you are interested in reading a fictional account of this historic event, I would rather recommend for you to read "Quake!: Disaster in San Francisco, 1906" by Gail Langer Karwoski.
September 15, 2012
I liked this book, but it wasn't as exciting as I had hoped. I had no idea about Edith Irvine and how she had to sneak her camera around because the mayor of San Francisco was trying to keep the earthquake damage under wraps. That in itself was fascinating, but the story wasn't as gripping as I had hoped it would be. There was a lot of wandering around without much action. I know, this is an historical account and therefore not meant to be "souped" up, but to be honest it didn't make for a very exciting read. Still worth it to learn about Ms. Irvine and her photos.
April 29, 2009
A nice, short, easy to read sample of good historical fiction. I enjoyed it all the more because I knew very little about the San Francisco Great Earthquake/Great Fire until reading this. It also has some nice feminist undertones, which I lapped up like the good feminist puppy that I am ;)
Didn't realize until after I read it that this book is actually a young adult novel. Oops! I guess everyone needs a light read here and there!
Didn't realize until after I read it that this book is actually a young adult novel. Oops! I guess everyone needs a light read here and there!
August 25, 2010
The plans of photographer Edith Irvine and her assistant Daisy Valentine are greatly disrupted when they are confronted with the powerful San Francisco earthquake of April 18, 1906. They and their new found friend, Mary Exa, whose historical letter is quoted from chapter to chapter, document the tragedy whereon this story is written.
Thanks to firstborn for sharing!
Thanks to firstborn for sharing!
October 25, 2009
I read this through the weekend and loved it! It's short, deinently a easy read, but it was still great. I found many times when my jaw dropped in horror...makes me want to research the earthquake some more.
June 28, 2011
This book was okay. It would be awful to live through an earthquake like that. I wish some of the pictures she took would have been included in the story. I know the quotes were authentic. Really not to bad of a story.
October 30, 2007
This was a very easy read. I read it in one day. It's has awesome pictures in it too.
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May 19, 2008JF Gre
July 16, 2008
This book is about a young girl who arrives in San Francisco just as the terrible earthquake of 1906 hits. Her pictures of the aftermath are housed at BYU. It was okay!
January 26, 2010
I started to read this december,2,2009
sad story about an earthquake in sanfrancigo.
sad story about an earthquake in sanfrancigo.
April 7, 2011
Really enjoyed this!!!
April 17, 2012
The characters should have been interesting and sympathetic and the plot should have been riveting. Neither was the case. Informative though.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews