02/01/2021
On Mar. 11, 2011, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Japan, strong enough to sway Tokyo’s skyscrapers; then the tsunami hit. In a dramatic chain of events, powerfully narrated by author and children’s book editor Langeland, these two cataclysms combined to cause a third crisis: a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima power plant, the world’s worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The first three chapters recount the three crises as they unfold, while the fourth chapter provides a larger context for issues of mourning, trauma, and recovery. Threading her accounts of the unfolding catastrophes with quotes from eyewitnesses, Langeland allows readers a glimpse at the ground-level experiences of the triple disaster and its aftermath. She narrates the minute-by-minute struggle of workers in the power plant struggling to contain the meltdown, worrying about their families and communities, and hamstrung by national politics. An adroit balance between explanations of scientific concepts and a spotlight on people who made difficult choices under unimaginable conditions. The book includes colorful, detailed diagrams of relevant material, including tectonic plates and radiation suits; back matter includes a timeline, glossary, bibliography, and source notes. Ages 10–14. (Feb.)
A 2022 Notable Social Studies Trade Books List Selection!
Praise for Meltdown:
"A well-researched, sharply written, engrossing account of natural and nuclear disaster."—Kirkus, starred review
"An in-depth, scientific approach to explain the disastrous 2011 Tohoku earthquake, deadly tsunami, and tragic nuclear meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan."—School Library Journal
01/01/2021
Gr 6–8—The mechanics and impact of nuclear power generation in Japan are explored in this chronological account of the devastation wrought by the Tohoku earthquake, resultant tsunami, and nuclear meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in March 2011. The text features information from databases, books, websites, and media reports. From geological facts to chemistry concepts to technologies, Langeland explains the days-long series of catastrophic events that sparked the nuclear power plant meltdown. Labeled diagrams and photographs enhance the thorough presentation of facts. The clear scientific information is of encyclopedic quality, and an insightful concluding chapter shares lessons learned from these disasters. The survivors' accounts add a much-needed sense of context to the enormous amount of information but appear at irregular intervals, which dilute the opportunity for a stronger emotive connection for readers. An extensive bibliography, a glossary, a time line, and an index are included. VERDICT An in-depth, scientific approach to explain the disastrous 2011 Tohoku earthquake, deadly tsunami, and tragic nuclear meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan.—Rachel Mulligan, Pennsylvania State Univ.
★ 2020-11-27
Like Three Mile Island and Chernobyl before it, Fukushima is now synonymous with nuclear disaster.
On March 11, 2011, the largest earthquake ever measured in Japan occurred off the northeast coast of its largest island, Honshu. It triggered a tsunami with a wall of water 128 feet high. The tsunami damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, triggering meltdowns in its three active reactors—though the damage was far less severe than Chernobyl’s, where radiation emissions were 10 times greater. Langeland’s narrative is impressively concise, with accessible explanations for such complicated technical subjects as plate tectonics, seismology, the fission process of nuclear power plants, radiation and radioactivity, the chain of events that led to the meltdown of the reactors, and the aftermath. The trifecta of catastrophic death and devastation is vividly depicted with well-chosen quotes from survivors recounting their experiences. In particular, the dramatic accounts of employees at the plant desperately working to contain the meltdown and of rescue workers scouring the devastation for survivors and evacuating whole communities are riveting. In the aftermath of the disaster, Japan reconsidered using nuclear fission for generating power, but Langeland notes that alternative fuels like coal and natural gas also adversely impact human health and the environment. Ten years after the disaster, the author warns, “it remains unclear how many people will suffer long-term from radiation exposure.”
A well-researched, sharply written, engrossing account of natural and nuclear disaster. (diagrams, maps, photos, timeline, glossary, notes, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 10-14)
