Can You Survive the 1865 Sultana Disaster?
An Interactive History Adventure
From the Set You Choose: Disasters in History
The date is April 27, 1865. You are crammed onboard the steamboat Sultana with more than 2,000 passengers. Many of them are soldiers heading home after the Civil War. You’re cruising on the Mississippi River when a massive explosion rips through the ship. Do you dive into the water to save yourself or stay onboard to help the survivors? Will you try to swim for shore or wait for help to arrive? Will you stay with your sick friend or try to find someone to help him? With dozens of possible choices, it’s up to YOU to decide how you’ll survive one of the worst river disasters ever seen.
Interest Level | Grade 3 - Grade 7 |
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Reading Level | Grade 3 |
Dewey Number | 973.7 |
Lexile | 620L |
ATOS Reading Level | |
Guided Reading Level | V |
Language | English |
Publisher | Capstone |
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Format | Reinforced book |
ISBN | 9781666390858 |
Copyright | 2023 |
Number of Pages | 112 |
Dimensions | 5.25 x 7.5 |
Graphics | Full-color illustrations, Full-color photographs |
SLJ Review of You Choose: Disasters in History
These interactive history adventures offer readers three different characters to follow through the disaster, making over a dozen choices to try and survive. Each character is based on actual records of survivors and victims of the original event, and those individuals are identified in the back matter. Illustrations and photos, some of them archival, emphasize the destruction and devastation of the disaster. Suggested reading and websites for further investigation are offered. Other extras include information on how earthquakes or hurricanes are rated, advances in weather forecasting, or the importance of Red Cross relief efforts. Besides the opportunity to explore each of the possible choices within the narrative, there are also a few additional scenarios suggested in “Other Paths to Consider.” VERDICT Would work well with a unit on natural disasters or as individual reading for history buffs.