3 stars
A good look at what life was like in America in the late 1800s. The story centers around people moving to settle in the Midwest, including run-ins with wildlife such as grasshopper plagues and rattlesnakes, daily chores, extreme weather, and general living conditions. The blizzard itself is a pretty small section of the book comparatively. It focuses more on daily life with the blizzard acting as the climax of the book. Tarshis incorporates some interesting anecdotes on how people survived weather conditions during the time period.
I do like that there is more backmatter in the more recent books than the first few. This one contains a little bit about Tarshis’ research process, a Q&A section on the Children’s Blizzard and life in 1888, and some suggested reading.
The book does touch very briefly on treatment of Native American with more detailed information in the backmatter. The reference in the actual story is pretty vague, but the backmatter gives some decent context.
Overall, a good read. The action wasn’t quite as interesting as some of the previous books, but it works well as a historical look at life for homesteaders during the time period. As always, there is an emphasis on friendship and working together to survive.