The Day It Rained Forever: A Story of the Johnstown Flood (Once Upon America)

A young girl tells the story of the tragic Johnstown flood, when torrential rains caused the Lake Conemaugh dam to rupture

Grade 3-5-- A historical novel about the bursting of a poorly constructed dam and subsequent flooding of Johnstown, PA, in 1898, as experienced by a fictional child and her family. The rains begin shortly after the death of 11-year-old Christina's infant sister, with preparations meanwhile under way for an uncle's wedding. Although it rains for an extended period, the family feels relatively safe from high water on their farm. They do, however, worry about Mama, who is involved in wedding plans in Johnstown when the dam gives way. She is swept by the flood into the branches of a tree, where a wooden tub containing a newborn baby also becomes lodged. Both are rescued and returned to the farm, and the family keeps the unclaimed infant. Much weakened by contrivances and coincidences, this story is uninvolving. The statement, "The millionaires who formed the South Fork Hunting and Fishing Club took shortcuts to save money," as an explanation for the shoddy construction leaves readers wishing for solid background information. The mixture of fact and fiction muddies the waters, raising but not answering questions about the historical event and its aftermath.
- Susan Patron, Los Angeles Public Library, CA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.