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The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906
A gripping portrait of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake by Laura Ingalls Wilder Award winner Laurence Yep. When the quake subsides, Chin and Henry and their families are lucky to be alive. But now they must escape the fires that have broken out and find their way to safety–before it's too late. Based on actual events and told from the alternating perspectives of two young friends, The Earth Dragon Awakes is a suspenseful novel about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake by Newbery Honor author Laurence Yep.
117 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
23 people are currently reading
482 people want to read
About the author
Laurence Yep
120 books295 followersBorn June 14, 1948 in San Francisco, California, Yep was the son of Thomas Gim Yep and Franche Lee Yep. Franche Lee, her family's youngest child, was born in Ohio and raised in West Virginia where her family owned a Chinese laundry. Yep's father, Thomas, was born in China and came to America at the age of ten where he lived, not in Chinatown, but with an Irish friend in a white neighborhood. After troubling times during the Depression, he was able to open a grocery store in an African-American neighborhood. Growing up in San Francisco, Yep felt alienated. He was in his own words his neighborhood's "all-purpose Asian" and did not feel he had a culture of his own. Joanne Ryder, a children's book author, and Yep met and became friends during college while she was his editor. They later married and now live in San Francisco.
Although not living in Chinatown, Yep commuted to a parochial bilingual school there. Other students at the school, according to Yep, labeled him a "dumbbell Chinese" because he spoke only English. During high school he faced the white American culture for the first time. However, it was while attending high school that he started writing for a science fiction magazine, being paid one cent a word for his efforts. After two years at Marquette University, Yep transferred to the University of California at Santa Cruz where he graduated in 1970 with a B.A. He continued on to earn a Ph.D. in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1975. Today as well as writing, he has taught writing and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and Santa Barbara.
Although not living in Chinatown, Yep commuted to a parochial bilingual school there. Other students at the school, according to Yep, labeled him a "dumbbell Chinese" because he spoke only English. During high school he faced the white American culture for the first time. However, it was while attending high school that he started writing for a science fiction magazine, being paid one cent a word for his efforts. After two years at Marquette University, Yep transferred to the University of California at Santa Cruz where he graduated in 1970 with a B.A. He continued on to earn a Ph.D. in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1975. Today as well as writing, he has taught writing and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and Santa Barbara.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
October 9, 2020
Written for earlier grades (I'd say maybe 3rd?), this fast-paced #OwnVoices historical fiction follows two boys who survive the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the catastrophic fires that followed. Chin is a Chinese immigrant whose father works as a "houseboy" for his best friend Henry's parents. The kids are on opposite sides of the city when the quake hits, and must escape crashing buildings and flee rapidly escalating fires. The story is rich with vivid historical detail and scientific facts about the earthquake, addresses anti-Chinese discrimination, and confronts the overall seriousness of the events in an engaging and age-appropriate way. There are also moments of great fun and even silliness. It was a little on the young side for my 12 y/o son, but he still enjoyed it, identified with both boys, and was eager to look up more information about 1900s San Francisco and the earthquake after we finished. This would be perfect for fans of the "I Survived" series.
June 12, 2009
The author, Laurence Yep, switches between two narrators-- one Chinese and one white-- as they struggle to survive after the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. In between the narrative chapters, the author inserts chapters that detail the scientific and historical events surrounding this famous quake.
This would be a great read aloud! Short with lots of suspense and something for every reader in the room- science, drama, and the heartwarming story of two families.
This would be a great read aloud! Short with lots of suspense and something for every reader in the room- science, drama, and the heartwarming story of two families.
May 19, 2017
An interesting historical fiction set in San Francisco during the Great Earthquake and Fire of 1906. The omniscient narrator switches from the Travis family, a well-to-do white family, their houseboy and his child, Ah Sing and Chin, the earthquake, the fire, and the firefighters. This switching happens very often with very short chapters. The author spends less time with the two main families than I expected it to and more time explaining the earthquake and efforts of citizens and first responders to save the city. It was very educational that way. The boys in the two families are likable and love adventure stories. Over the course of the book, they get more adventure than they wanted! The Chinese culture of San Francisco and prejudice against them was mentioned.
I love how disaster novels show ordinary people doing extraordinary and selfless things to save others, but there are always those who view it as a time to riot or loot things. The best and worst of humanity shows up when a disaster happens.
This is such a simple little statement, but it highlights a cultural difference between the Chinese language and the English language. Chin sees twisted up cable-car tracks and compares the shape to a "dreadful" word. In English our words don't have the visual representation of what they mean like Chinese characters. I like the idea that a word can "look" scary. :)
"Trouble brings out the worst in some people," grumbles Mr. Travis.
"Trouble brings out the best in people, too," Mrs. Travis adds.
I love how disaster novels show ordinary people doing extraordinary and selfless things to save others, but there are always those who view it as a time to riot or loot things. The best and worst of humanity shows up when a disaster happens.
The twisted cable-car tracks look like the strokes of a mysterious, dreadful word.
This is such a simple little statement, but it highlights a cultural difference between the Chinese language and the English language. Chin sees twisted up cable-car tracks and compares the shape to a "dreadful" word. In English our words don't have the visual representation of what they mean like Chinese characters. I like the idea that a word can "look" scary. :)
Fifty thousand people have fled to Oakland. They live in tents set up for them. But Americans object to living next to Chinese. So Chinese survivors have to live in special camps.
This just blows my mind. In a disaster situation, it seems like people would remember what is really important and get over themselves! It's like on the Titanic when the first-class passengers were hoping the life boats were segregated by class. Sheesh. In the rebuilding process, the Americans tried to force them out of Chinatown.
I loved the survivors at the end of the book who started sorting through the rubble and collecting good bricks. They didn't sit there and feel terrible, they started picking up and starting over. That is such a nice place to end it.
September 13, 2024
Interesting historical story as told through the perspective of two boys. The writing had a lot of short sentences, which probably makes it easier for a kid to read, but felt very choppy to me.
July 23, 2018
Ok as a 2nd or 3rd grade reader. Short chapters. Imagery but clearly done.
October 12, 2020
This is a great beginner chapter book. It was not my very favorite story but it was still enjoyable. This book is about earthquakes in San Fransisco. It is very interesting and enjoyable as well. It is simply not something I would chose for myself to read again.
June 8, 2015
I read this book with my students for a combined science (earthquakes) and social studies (early 1900's, different location) unit. The book is about two family's perspectives on the events of a true story--one of the biggest earthquakes to rock the U.S. in the early 1900's. One family is from China town and the other is from another neighborhood. This makes it a multi-cultural perspective as well, which is another great discussion starter.
As a historical text, it does a good job of keeping readers engaged in the material, by having the back-drop be during an earthquake. Each family is working hard to get out of the situation they're in to save themselves and those around them. However, little information is given contextual as to how people live, why race is a bigger issue at the time, and what San Francisco was like at the time. The focus of the story is really on a hero's arc of the main character's perceptions of how their father's become heroes. Also, their mothers have more nit-picky, silly roles, so most of the story focuses on the male characters.
I personally found it hard to get through, and some of the vocabulary was a little out of the range for second graders. The main focus was on the action, so there was little in the way of dialogue or thought. All in all, it was quite an exciting book, and a nice way to put oneself in the shoes of a historical event, but ultimately wasn't able to back it up with historical information or what it was attempting to do in terms of talking about race.
As a historical text, it does a good job of keeping readers engaged in the material, by having the back-drop be during an earthquake. Each family is working hard to get out of the situation they're in to save themselves and those around them. However, little information is given contextual as to how people live, why race is a bigger issue at the time, and what San Francisco was like at the time. The focus of the story is really on a hero's arc of the main character's perceptions of how their father's become heroes. Also, their mothers have more nit-picky, silly roles, so most of the story focuses on the male characters.
I personally found it hard to get through, and some of the vocabulary was a little out of the range for second graders. The main focus was on the action, so there was little in the way of dialogue or thought. All in all, it was quite an exciting book, and a nice way to put oneself in the shoes of a historical event, but ultimately wasn't able to back it up with historical information or what it was attempting to do in terms of talking about race.
January 31, 2017
*I just finished this with my class today. It has taken a lot of our reading up for the last week, but it has been well worth it. I have a lot of students this year, diverse learners of course, but this seemed to hold most interested. It's an intense book, but a lot of fun to lead them in a novel.
This is a book in our curriculum. Historical fiction is difficult for young students, but this is a hit- for both the students and I. I've learned a lot of this tragic event from this book, and it serves as a great means of introducing extremely difficult subject matter to students. We use this book for many things - one of which is narrative writing. Laurence Yep writes with such wonderful imagery, and my students begin every year to truly write with description after I use his work as a motivator and an example.
The tragedy is known in this book. The characters created by Yep are beautifully woven together into this tragedy. This is a great read - happy to have this one on the schedule each year.
This is a book in our curriculum. Historical fiction is difficult for young students, but this is a hit- for both the students and I. I've learned a lot of this tragic event from this book, and it serves as a great means of introducing extremely difficult subject matter to students. We use this book for many things - one of which is narrative writing. Laurence Yep writes with such wonderful imagery, and my students begin every year to truly write with description after I use his work as a motivator and an example.
The tragedy is known in this book. The characters created by Yep are beautifully woven together into this tragedy. This is a great read - happy to have this one on the schedule each year.
November 24, 2013
Narrates the events around the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, as experienced by a well-off American family and their Chinese houseboy and son. Told through brief chapters and in a somber, matter of-fact voice, it not only describes with much accuracy what happened (based on the many sources used by the author and referred to in an elaborate author's note) but also shows how disaster of this kind bring out the worst and the best in people. It tells the story of the many unknown heroes. This is a great read-aloud to share when inquiring into natural phenomena and disasters - but also a great pick for anyone interested in reading historical fiction. (And an extra for those not yet ready for longer chapter books, it's a really slim volume.)
December 3, 2017
If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would. In December I will be book talking historical fiction a the elementary schools and I can't wait to book talk this book. The 4th and 5th graders will eat it up, this book has action, some scary elements, and is based on history. There is one scene in the book that talks about the furry gray carpet behind them which is the rats also trying to escape the fire. The image those words evoke will be enough to hook the students into wanting to read this book and there is a lot to learn about bravery and courage and that you don't have to be someone special to be brave and have courage. One word sums up this book, "WOW!"
Historical fiction
Action packed
Character-driven
Believable characters
Historical fiction
Action packed
Character-driven
Believable characters
December 21, 2010
The story of Chin and Henry two young Chinese boys during the Earthquake in San Francisco in 1906. A moving story of heroic measure an average person is capable of regardless of age, size or ethnicity. I enjoyed this story and think it is a great historical fiction book for children!
August 4, 2013
I read this for my elementary library. I've always loved Laurence Yep. This was heavy on the history and could have used a little more story. I will recommend this for my students who like adventure and/or historical fiction.
July 3, 2014
I am currently reading this novel with my son. We love the way the author describe the events that happen at that time. It's even a little be scary about the nature disaster that occur on earth but also how vulnerable we are when we have to face with this type of disaster
February 8, 2018
Per my second graders: I liked it because it teaches you history. I liked it because you can learn about the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. I liked because there was a big fire and they overcame the fire. I liked because it tells you what happened a long time ago.
August 2, 2022
This book was a fascinating story about the San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fires of 1906. The story centered on two young boys and their families. While Henry Travis’ family lives in a upscale part of San Francisco, Chin lives in Chinatown and commutes to the Travis’ house, where his father works as a houseboy, each day on his way to school. Both boys love penny dreadful novels about heroes such as Wyatt Earp and are convinced that their fathers are boring. As the story progresses, we read about the uneasiness of animals the night before the earthquake, the impact of the earthquake itself on both Chinatown and the rest of the city, the fires that ravaged the city after the earthquake, and the adventures both families experience as they make their way to safety. Ultimately, the boys recognize the dangers their fathers are willing to face to save and help others and must re-examine their definition of a hero.
In literacy classes, we talk a lot about mentor texts, texts that exemplify literary qualities we can and should emulate. This was a wonderful mentor text that facilitated conversations about word choice, perspective, point of view, central message, historical accuracy, and so much more. It also gently introduced important topics of racism and prejudice. While this was a high-complexity text for my 7 and 8 year olds, it was a riveting story that they looked forward to reading each day. I read the book out loud, but each student had their own copy and read along with me. We had to stop often to clarify concepts and definitions (e.g., after reading about Chin hoping that the ferry would still be there when they reached the bay, one student confidently defined a ferry as “a magical being”), but these 2nd graders gained so much historical and literary knowledge from reading this book.
I would have no hesitations in recommending this book as a read-aloud for kids as young as 6 (I would catch my first graders being distracted from their independent work as they got caught up in the story) or as an independent book for 9-12 year olds.
In literacy classes, we talk a lot about mentor texts, texts that exemplify literary qualities we can and should emulate. This was a wonderful mentor text that facilitated conversations about word choice, perspective, point of view, central message, historical accuracy, and so much more. It also gently introduced important topics of racism and prejudice. While this was a high-complexity text for my 7 and 8 year olds, it was a riveting story that they looked forward to reading each day. I read the book out loud, but each student had their own copy and read along with me. We had to stop often to clarify concepts and definitions (e.g., after reading about Chin hoping that the ferry would still be there when they reached the bay, one student confidently defined a ferry as “a magical being”), but these 2nd graders gained so much historical and literary knowledge from reading this book.
I would have no hesitations in recommending this book as a read-aloud for kids as young as 6 (I would catch my first graders being distracted from their independent work as they got caught up in the story) or as an independent book for 9-12 year olds.
December 29, 2018
This is a great book for any unit on historical fiction. I'm going to use it with our Social Studies unit as well.
The story follows two boys - Henry and Chin - who experience the Great Earthquake and Fire a little differently. I learned a lot about the destruction caused by the quake and fire but even more about the treatment of Chinese people during the tragedy.
I teach 4th grade and think this book is a good choice for students who want an action packed story but need the support of short chapters. Though the story is split between the two boys, the chapter headings make it easy to follow. (Lexile 520; Level S)
The story follows two boys - Henry and Chin - who experience the Great Earthquake and Fire a little differently. I learned a lot about the destruction caused by the quake and fire but even more about the treatment of Chinese people during the tragedy.
I teach 4th grade and think this book is a good choice for students who want an action packed story but need the support of short chapters. Though the story is split between the two boys, the chapter headings make it easy to follow. (Lexile 520; Level S)
August 4, 2020
This late elementary historical fiction novel describes the 1906 SF earthquake through the perspectives of boys Jack and Chin, showing both the heroic and horrible sides of humanity's reaction to a crisis. I particularly like that Yep does not shy away from describing the systemic racism that impacted how well the Chinese immigrants fared, from living in flimsy tenements in Chinatown to white evacuees refusing to share their camps with them. I also liked the chapters where he explains the geological forces that caused the earthquake, how the fire spread, and how the firefighters tried to combat it.
November 28, 2021
The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 is a wonderful historical fiction novel as well as informational read about the disaster that struck this California city over 100 years ago. Yep wonderfully blended informative writing with the perspective of two fictional boys who experienced the event from two different cultural and socioeconomic lenses. I would recommend this to any student from 3rd grade and above who is interested in natural disasters or in the United States history with immigration as Yep approaches these topics wonderfully. As a teacher, I would definitely use this short but engaging read to introduce either topic to my class.
December 1, 2021
This book is a great addition to the classroom when focusing on the genre of historical fiction. It contains many readers aids such as times, dates, and locations which is critical to understanding the book's timeline. Instead of referring to the earthquake as it is, "Earth Dragon" gives it a whole new perspective. This story will keep you on the edge of your seat while Chin and Henry navigate through each point in time before and after the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.
December 12, 2023
Very easy ... short read. Could have read in two or three days if not for Covid hitting!
I love the way the author went back and forth between the boys and in between some of those chapters gave some history. If you are looking for a book that tells a lot of history this is not the book, but if you are looking for a book to add to your history unit and give points of view from children and family this is the book for you.
I love the way the author went back and forth between the boys and in between some of those chapters gave some history. If you are looking for a book that tells a lot of history this is not the book, but if you are looking for a book to add to your history unit and give points of view from children and family this is the book for you.
October 15, 2022
I would recommend this to kids in the right age bracket, particularly ones who live in California. The short timeline and the alternating narrative voices of the two young boys keep it engaging, and it gives a pretty well-rounded perspective of the experience and impact of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.
February 22, 2022
I read this to my third graders. We learned about weather and weather hazards in science so this paired nicely with that study and also incorporated history. The students really enjoyed it and had lots of questions. It was engaging.
November 22, 2022
I enjoyed reading Yep's historical novel of the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. The story is easy to read and has great main characters. Yep is proficient in the small details that bring a story to life. The story is easy to visualize.
August 22, 2025
We had to read this book for my daughter‘s third grade curriculum with lightning lit. While, I found it to be a great historical fiction, I found the content to be a little too intense for her age group. Instead of having her read it I read aloud to her and edited as necessary.
December 11, 2017
This is a horrible site
March 23, 2019
This is a dense read for a class of second graders--enjoyable, but I wish our curriculum and pacing allowed for more time taking it all in.
September 19, 2019
Matthias and I read this for homeschool. It was interesting to learn about the earthquake but his overuse of similes and metaphors was very distracting.
November 17, 2019
The book was so good most of the way through, a special time reading it with my sons, and we could not put it down. The end got a little long, but otherwise a great book.
October 11, 2021
I wasn't enthralled, but the boys were interested enough that it wasn't a slog for them.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews