I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919

This installment of the popular "I Survived" series plunges readers into the harrowing true story of the 1919 Great Molasses Flood in Boston. Set in a bustling immigrant neighborhood, the story follows a child protagonist who must navigate the sudden, devastating wave of molasses that swept through the streets, killing 21 and injuring many. Lauren Tarshis masterfully blends historical facts with a compelling personal narrative, highlighting themes of survival, community resilience, and the human cost of corporate negligence. It's an engaging way to introduce middle-grade readers to a unique historical event and the challenges faced by ordinary people during a disaster.

One hundred years ago, a killer wave of molasses struck a crowded Boston neighborhood. Discover the story of this strange disaster in the next book in the New York Times bestselling I Survived series. There were warning signs that the molasses tank would break. The steel sides moaned and groaned. Molasses oozed from its seams. But the people of Boston's North End -- mostly poor immigrants -- were powerless to complain to the big molasses company. On a bright January day in 1919, the tank finally broke and almost three million gallons of molasses rushed the neighborhood. At 15 feet tall, 160 feet wide, and traveling at 35 miles per hour, the gooey wave was more destructive than any flood of water would have been. Lauren Tarshis tells the riveting story of one child who was swept up in the sticky storm and lived to tell the tale.