Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1149592 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 64 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781581960440
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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From School Library Journal
Grade 4–7—Focusing on the wave that struck Hawaii in1946, Karwoski presents the event from a variety of viewpoints. The destruction of Hilo harbor leads off, citing accounts of victims from the Japanese neighborhood known as Shinmachi, and is followed by the story of the destruction of a school on Laupahoehoe Point. The author describes the cause of this disaster, a 7.8-scale earthquake in the Aleutians, and discusses other significant historic tsunamis. Sidebars add additional information, distinguish between tsunamis and tidal waves, provide more detail on individuals and the phenomenon, present definitions, and describe the causes of tsunamis. The book presents speculation linking the Atlantis legend with tsunamis, describes underwater sculptures exposed by the 2004 tsunami, and concludes with information on warning systems, such as the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. Very small black-and-white photos enhance the text, touchingly depicting the devastation, for example, with a photo of a floating schoolbook. The bibliography is extensive but there is no index. Overall, this is a solid addition to the material that has appeared since 2004 as it gives a good historical perspective.—Jeffrey A. French, Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library, Willowick, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Gr. 5-8. Karwoski, who wrote Miracle: The True Story of the Wreck of the Sea Venture (2004), opens with a description of the tsunami waves that struck the northern coast of the Hawaiian Islands in 1946, destroying a school and sweeping many children and adults out to sea. The book goes on to provide broader information about tsunamis, from scientific understanding of how they occur to ongoing efforts at early warning systems. At the beginning of each chapter is a full-page, bordered illustration with the distinctive look of a woodcut or linocut print. Though the colors that make the cover art so effective are restricted inside to black, white, and blue, the readers will still appreciate the prints as well as the many helpful diagrams, maps, and photos. Annotated bibliographies, Web sites, and videos are appended. Clearly written and informative. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"I recommend this book to all young readers." -- Dr. Walter C. Dudley, Chair, Scientific Advisory Committee, Pacific Tsunami Museum

"Karwoski goes into the past, present, and future of tsunamis . . . with loads of engagingly presented science." -- Chris Barton, Chrisbarton.info, September 11, 2006

Customer Reviews

Gail Karwoski's TSUNAMI: A Powerful, Well-written Book that You Won't Forget
Mention the word, "tsunami," and even the brave people of the world will run for higher ground. But nobody was shouting a warning in 1946 on a sunny April Fool's Day in Laupahoehoe, Hawaii when twenty-six people, including sixteen school children, were killed by a tsunami.

Karwoski got the idea for this book while visiting Hawaii the summer before the deadly 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. After doing a great deal of reseach, she found that the tsunami that hit Laupahoehoe caused scientists to study tsunamis and develop a warning system.

Illustrated by John MacDonald, this book is well-organized with five chapters, a "further information" section, and a bibliography. Chapter one is a dramatic account of the tragic tsunami that hit Laupahoehoe, Hawaii in 1946. The second chapter covers that same tsunami as it moves on to Hilo. Chapter three details the deadly history of tsunamis. Tsunami science is the subject of chapter four, and chapter five tells about the warning system developed by scientists.

Well-written, meticulously-researched, and fast-paced, dramatic details including eye-witness reports, make this book an excellent choice for middle schoolers or anyone older than nine who would like to learn about tsunamis.

Overall, this is a powerful story of a natural disaster that offers valuable information.

Don't let the recommended age description fool you
The publisher of this book states it is suitable for ages 11 and up. Since I typically do not review children's books I did not intend to read it and placed it on a stack to pass on to someone that would. However, as luck would have it, I met the author at a booksellers trade show in Denver and promised her I would at least take another look at it. I am glad I did.
This is one of the most readable, informative books not only on a deadly Tsunami that struck the coast of Hilo and Laupahoehoe, Hawaii, on April Fools' Day in 1946, but about Tsunami's in general and the creation of a global warning system in the Pacific Rim. The tragic story of the April Fools'Day tsunami which claimed the lives of 26 residents in the Laupahoehoe area, including 16 school children, is told in a narrative style that brings the event into sharp focus and provides a foundation for the remainder of the book.
In addition to the Laupahoehoe and Hilo story the book provides a non-technical, understandable explanation of the Pacific Tsunami Warning System, installed after the April Fools' Day tragedy, as well as what causes tsunami's, their history, the scientific efforts to understand and predict them, and a discussion of the day after Christmas 2004 Tsunami in the Indian Ocean that claimed hunderds of thousands of lives. Also, there are a number of helpful sidebars that provide answers to multiple questions about the causes of tsunami's as well as an excellent bibliography and "further information" section that would be a credit to a more scholarly work.
To be sure this book is suitable for ages 11 and up but I submit it will be of use and interest to readers of practically any age remotely interested in the history of Tsunami's and the state of the science dealing with their causes and detection. The author is a former school teacher and was named Author of the Year in Georgia. This book is a testament to her award winning, writing abilities.