{"product_id":"the-childrens-blizzard-melanie-benjamin-paperback","title":"The Children's Blizzard -- Melanie Benjamin, Paperback","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Aviator's Wife\u003c\/i\u003e comes a story of courage on the prairie, inspired by the devastating storm that struck the Great Plains in 1888, threatening the lives of hundreds of immigrant homesteaders, especially schoolchildren.\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"A nail-biter . . . poignant, powerful, perfect.\" --Kate Quinn, author of \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Alice Network\u003c\/i\u003e\n\n\u003c\/i\u003e\n\nThe morning of January 12, 1888, was unusually mild, following a punishing cold spell. It was warm enough for the homesteaders of the Dakota Territory to venture out again, and for their children to return to school without their heavy coats--leaving them unprepared when disaster struck. At the hour when most prairie schools were letting out for the day, a terrifying, fast-moving blizzard blew in without warning. Schoolteachers as young as sixteen were suddenly faced with life and death decisions: Keep the children inside, to risk freezing to death when fuel ran out, or send them home, praying they wouldn't get lost in the storm? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBased on actual oral histories of survivors, this gripping novel follows the stories of Raina and Gerda Olsen, two sisters, both schoolteachers--one becomes a hero of the storm and the other finds herself ostracized in the aftermath. It's also the story of Anette Pedersen, a servant girl whose miraculous survival serves as a turning point in her life and touches the heart of Gavin Woodson, a newspaperman seeking redemption. It was Woodson and others like him who wrote the embellished news stories that lured northern European immigrants across the sea to settle a pitiless land. Boosters needed them to settle territories into states, and they didn't care what lies they told these families to get them there--or whose land it originally was. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAt its heart, this is a story of courage, of children forced to grow up too soon, tied to the land because of their parents' choices. It is a story of love taking root in the hard prairie ground, and of families being torn asunder by a ferocious storm that is little remembered today--because so many of its victims were immigrants to this country.\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Melanie Benjamin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Bantam\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1\/11\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 384\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.6 lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 7.9\" H x 5.1\" L x 1\" W\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9780399182303\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e","brand":"Flowerburst","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50554207306032,"sku":"9780399182303","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2712\/8368\/files\/9780399182303_4cbb15fb-f8ce-4c81-8c52-5e4c202d8916.jpg?v=1774816655","url":"https:\/\/flowerburst.co\/products\/the-childrens-blizzard-melanie-benjamin-paperback","provider":"Flowerburst","version":"1.0","type":"link"}