Flood : Mississippi 1927

Survival! #5

by Kathleen Duey, Karen A. Bale, Bill Dodge

For years, Garret and Molly have dreamed of seeing more of the world than cotton fields and the dusty poverty of their Mississippi Delta farms. They’ve been stashing away hard-earned pennies and nickels in a tin-can bank, hidden deep in the bayou. Now rising flood waters threaten the hiding place of their money, and they set out on their homemade raft to retrieve it.

But the raging Mississippi has other plans, and suddenly Garrett and Molly find themselves in a deadly battle with the dangerous currents and roiling rapids of their debris-strewn river—fighting not for their life savings, but for their lives.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, 20th Century, Fiction, Adventure

176 pages, Paperback

First published July 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

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

For years, Garrett and Molly dreamed of traveling the world. They worked long hours, saved every penny, and planned their first big adventure. But nature had other plans.

After days of relentless rain, the Mississippi River overflowed, turning streets into torrents and homes into islands. When the floodwaters swallowed their town, Garrett and Molly had no choice but to escape on a makeshift raft.

Swept downstream by raging currents, they battled exhaustion, debris, and even a venomous snake that slithered onto their fragile vessel. Every moment was a fight for survival.

Would they ever make it home, or had the river claimed them for good?

[Kaley Ogolini · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book was overall ok. The story was kind of boring and dragged out. Many times I found it hard to read the novel which was frustrating. Although I didn't really like how the book was written, I still found the event it's self interesting and I'm glad I learned about the Mississippi flood of 1927.

[Leanne And · Rating 2 out of 5]

At the start of the book, I was not really that excited to read on.It just drags on quite a bit, but the only exciting part was when I read about how the characters survived the flood. This book also relates to what happened before, and now,too, as it is hard to earn money when conditions are not good. All in all, it is just an okay book.

[Ammar Khedr · Rating 1 out of 5]

It drags on for so long and it’s just boring

[SaraKat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This survivor story of a white boy and a black girl in Mississippi in 1927 is a gripping page-turner. The children survive on the raft they built for adventure when a flood hits their town. They spend almost 2 days traveling on their raft and get some of that adventure they wanted all right! I think after this they will be happy for a while with no adventure at all.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most people think it's odd that Garrett Wood and Molly Bride are best friends. The place is Mississippi, the year 1927, and Garrett is white while Molly is black. But they ignore what everyone else says and remain friends. They're united in their dreams of getting away from their dreary lives on cotton farms. For some time now they've been saving money in a jar in the bayou. When the rising waters of the Mississippi threaten to put the bayou underwater, Garrett and Molly set out on their little homemade raft to retrieve the money. But instead, they end up being swept down the river. They encounter dangerous currents filled with debris, poisonous snakes, and storms. Their journey will truly test their courage and friendship. An exciting survival story with historical details about life in the south in the 1920s.

[Diane Ferbrache · Rating 4 out of 5]

Garrett and Molly are best friends who have been saving money to escape their small town in MS. When a flood threatens to wash away their stash of money (hidden in a tree trunk on an island) they hop on a raft and head out to retrieve it. Unfortunately the storm is worse than expected and they and their raft are washed downriver into an adventure that almost drowns them and includes encounters with strangers, dogs, debris, and water moccasins.

This is an exciting and fast-paced survival tale that’s appropriate for 4th through 7th graders. Part of a series of adventures based on historical events. This on about the devastating flood in 1927. Others include the Titanic, the Chicago Fire (1871), the San Francisco Earthquake (1906), and the Colorado Blizzard of 1886. All featuring young people against the odds.

[Kevin Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit slow for a survival book. I had a lot of questions that were not answered while reading. Would be great for a developing reader.

[Bexa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book actually gave me anxiety for the children's safety. I know it's a children's book so it has to have a mostly happy ending, but I was tense and worried while reading this book.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was a little slow in some places and then sped through other parts. Really liked the friendship between Garrett and Molly and how they work together to survive.

[Rahul · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really find anything great about this book, not exactly recommended.