Publishers Weekly
With a confident and sometimes matter-of-fact tone, Mali brings listeners back in time to March 12, 1888-the day two storms converged to create an East Coast blizzard some called the Great White Hurricane. New York City and its environs were hit particularly hard (800 people in the city perished) and Murphy describes how all citizens from all walks of life in Manhattan, New Jersey and Connecticut were impacted by the devastating cold and snow. Accounts of survivors and victims provide a captivating blend of gravity, immediacy and drama. Murphy's well-rounded information about the various circumstances that worsened the effects of the storm make the tale both more fascinating and more tragic. Mali's steady delivery is very well suited to the material; it allows listeners time to absorb this gripping history lesson. Ages 9-up. (Jan.)
School Library Journal
Gr 5 Up-Blizzard!:The Storm That Changed America by Jim Murphy (Scholastic, 2000) is an account of the blizzard of March 12, 1888 that hit the northeastern United States. It was one of the worst and most written about natural disasters in our history. The storm brought the coast of the United States, from Virginia to Canada, to a standstill, and this retelling based on personal accounts and news stories makes you feel like you are there. The blizzard is described primarily from the vantage point of individuals in New York City and the area around it. Some people left work and didn't know if or when they would ever reach home. Others were stranded with little food and water and had no idea if help was on the way. The text is exciting, and Taylor Mali provides a mesmerizing reading of this fascinating story. His steady voice holds listeners spellbound and waiting for what will happen next. Listeners young and old will learn a great deal about U.S. history and science, and how this storm changed our nation. -Anita Lawson, Otsego High School, MI Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
AUG/SEP 06 - AudioFile
BLIZZARD! takes us to March 1888, when a severe winter storm froze New England and paralyzed every form of transportation. This collection of survivors’ memories of the high winds and mountains of snow creates an instructive vision of life and hardship in an earlier century. Narrator Taylor Mali maintains the tense but restrained voice that an announcer would use to report a human disaster. The sense of foreboding he creates fits the worsening conditions faced by victims of the unimaginable cold that lasted for weeks. Mali treats each word with utmost importance, and the unhurried pace allows his audience to concentrate and to remember a disaster that will surely happen again. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
