SURVIVAL! Fire

Survival! #4

by Kathleen Duey

In the midst of the Chicago fire of 1871, Nate is desperate to get back to his great aunt's boarding house but finds himself responsible for the safely of Julie, who is also separated from her family. Original.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens

171 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1998

About the author

Kathleen Duey grew up in Colorado. She loved riding her horses, hiking, being in the mountains. Reading was always important to her. Writing became a fascination early in her life. In the fourth grade, Kathleen began writing stories and told everyone who would listen that she was going to be an author. Then she did nothing about it until she was 35 years old. Writing was her passion and her dream-come-true.

from: fantasticfiction.co.uk

Kathleen died of cardiac arrest at her home in Fallbrook, California. She was 69. She had struggled with dementia in her latter years which prevented her from completing her Skin Hunger trilogy.

https://web.archive.org/web/202101052...

Reviews

[Kiran Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book went by very fast. This book was also very understandable. This book was one of thoses adventures books. This book had a bit of friendship in it. This book and this series is all based on historical events. This book had a little twist in it. If you look at the cover, you think its about The Great Chicago Fire, but it really isn't. In the middle of the book the kids get kidnapped. When I read that part, it surprised me becuase i never knew that was going to happen. Overall, i really enjoyed reading this book. This book had a lot of interesting elements in it. If you are a lover of historical books, this is a good one for you.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story follows two children through the streets of Chicago. I'm not sure what the purpose was, but the whole book was down this street and up this street and what was seen over on this street, naming each one like we were to remember the name for some significant reason. Several misuses of God's name.

[Adrian Ma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book SURVIVAL! Fire (Chicago, 1871)by Kathleen Duey is based on the real disaster "The Great Chicago Fire" in 1871. The two totally different main characters, the sneaky Nate Cooper and the wealthy and spoiled Julie Fylnn find themselves both lost in the dangerous streets of Chicago the same night "The Great Chicago Fire" consumed the city. Although the two have never met, fate lands Nate and Julie together as they work together to find a way out of the flaming inferno of Chicago.

I picked up this book because I thought I would try a book based on something real. In this case it was the Chicago Fire in 1871. I also decided to pick up this book because it was just lying around at my house and I though "Why not try something different?"

I finished this book because in the middle of the story, the two characters really start to trust one another as they are trapped in the massive fire, and it was interesting to see two totally different characters manage to help each other. I wanted to see how it would end for the two of them, if they would perish in the fire or find a way out so I finished the book.

I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to read a good story about teamwork and trusting. I rate this book 3/5 stars.

[Kylie Bengtzen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Survivors: Chicago Fire of 1871 by Kathleen Duey and Karen A. Bale tells the story of how two kids survive this enormous fire. This takes place in Chicago, Illinois in the dangerous streets and crowds. The main characters are Nate Copper, Ryan, and Julie Flynn. Overall, I thought the book was a 4-star rating because it was an interesting story with a lot of action and it had a lot of detail but not full 5-star because it wasn't something I would immediately choose to read as my first choice. The problems the characters encountered were Julie getting kidnapped and her maybe not being able to get saved because of the fire getting in the way. I would recommend this book to boys between the ages of 9 and 13 because this book has a lot of action and danger in it which boys mainly like at that age. But I wouldn't recommend this book to girls who are girly and don't like dangerous books.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

The time and place is 1871 Chicago. Nate is an orphan who lives with his aunt, who runs a boardinghouse. Julie is the spoiled daughter of a wealthy couple. When Julie is separated from her parents the night of the Great Chicago Fire, she is rescued from kidnappers by Nate, who she has never met before. Julie, pampered since birth, is completely helpless. It falls upon Nate to protect her and bring her back to her family, but at the same time, he longs to find his aunt to make sure she is all right. This book was an exciting historical survival story that had me on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what would happen next to Nate and Julie.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The history of the Chicago fire is fascinating, and in some ways the book did a good job of bringing it to life and showing what it was about. But it lost stars on simply being too long and wordy. Way too much description and detail, even for a historical narrative. The plot and the action just seemed to c-r-a-w-l through the whole thing to the point that by the end of the book I was just skimming and not reading at all. We have two other books in the series, and I'm somewhat turned off of reading them because I'm guessing they'll suffer from the same description-laden sluggishness, but my seven year old son is excited about them, so apparently he wasn't as put-off as I.

[April Hochstrasser · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great young adult read about one day of the Chicago fires of 1871. It made me realize what the people of Chicago went through, losing everything they owned in one short day as the smoke and ask choked the city and the people thronged out on the crowded roads. It was interesting the people who were so concerned with getting their "stuff" out that they lost their own lives by not fleeing soon enough. A compelling look at a well known tragedy and a fast read.

[Roslyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books reminds me of The Dear of... series. If you like those books then you'll like this.

[Alex Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another quick read in this franchise, a more high stakes story too, if my memory serves. It's a fun book it had nice characters and it keeps the action movie along