It is before daybreak on April 18, 1906. Jacob Kaufman slips out of the wooden boarding house where he lives with his immigrant father and little sister Rosie, his father's harsh words still ringing in his ears. Suddenly the ground beneath his feet begins to rumble, buildings collapse and the street splits wide open as Jacob runs to find safety from a devastating earthquake. Fires engulf the city. He returns to find his father and sister... but there is nothing left of the building but a pile of sticks. Jacob and his dog join the throng of other people searching for shelter, food, fresh water...and loved ones who are missing.In award-winning author Gail Langer Karwoski's stirring fictional account of the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, young readers will relive the drama of the actual event and its devastating aftermath, through the courageous survival of a young boy. An Author's Note at the end carefully separates fact from fiction, giving young readers a glimpse into one of the worst earthquakes in modern history.

Gail Langer Karwoski, is a former elementary schoolteacher. She received her B.A. from the University of Massachusetts and her M.A. from the University of Minnesota. She is the coauthor of THE TREE THAT OWNS ITSELF AND OTHER ADVENTURE TALES FROM OUT OF GEORGIA'S PAST with Loretta Johnson Hammer and the author of SEAMAN: THE DOG WHO EXPLORED THE WEST WITH LEWIS AND CLARK and SURVIVING JAMESTOWN: THE ADVENTURES OF YOUNG SAM COLLIER. Ashe lives with her family near Athens, GA