On Sunday afternoon , March 11, 1888 the Great Blizzard hit the East Coast. Snow and wind whipped through cities and farms for four days dumping 40-50 inches of snow. Winds swept through the cities at up to 45 miles an hour snapping powerlines. Snowdrifts, some up to 50 feet high, blocked buildings. Transportation was shut down when trains could not move along the blocked tracks. Big cities like New York looked like ghost towns. Jim Murphy relates first person accounts of how different people experienced the storm that confined people to their homes for a week and froze the East River solid for a short period. If you find natural disasters intriguing, you should enjoy reading Blizzard!

On Sunday night, October 8, 1871, a small fire broke out in the O’Learys’ barn in Chicago, Illinois. Due to weather conditions and human error the fire became a roaring inferno that burned for 31 hours causing 100,000 people to flee the deadly flames. Through Jim Murphy’s skillful writing, the reader experiences the confusion and terror of four characters as they flee the great fire. Illustrations, photos and maps enhance this Newberry Honor Book.