The Rain Wizard: The Amazing, Mysterious, True Life of Charles Mallory Hatfield

by Larry Dane Brimner

Overview

In December 1915, San Diego's leaders claimed the town's reservoirs were nearly dry. Knowing the city would not survive and grow unless it had water, they hired Charles Mallory Hatfield, whose skills at making rain were legendary. But when torrents and torrents of rain came, disaster struck. Roads were closed, people drowned, and dams burst. The town elders blamed Hatfield and refused to pay him. Was Hatfield really a rain wizard, or simply a fraud? Renowned author Larry Dane Brimner examines the man and the myth by relying on personal recollections from growing up in California, as well as extensive research. Readers will be captivated by Hatfield—a man once known as the Frankenstein of the air—and his secret rainmaking formulas. Includes author's note, source notes, and bibliography.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629794358
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	09/01/2015
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	80
File size:	35 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Larry Dane Brimner is the recipient of the 2018 Robert F. Sibert Award for the most distinguished informational book for children for his title Twelve Days in May: Freedom Ride 1961. He is known for his well-researched, innovative, and award-winning nonfiction for young readers, and is the author of multiple acclaimed civil rights titles, including Strike!: The Farm Workers' Fight for Their Rights; and Black & White: The Confrontation between Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and Eugene "Bull" Connor.

Editorial Reviews

08/03/2015
Brimner (Strike! The Farmworkers' Fight for Their Rights) brings to light the story of enigmatic, entrepreneurial rainmaker Charles Hatfield. Claiming to be able to enhance rainfall amounts with his secretive chemical mixing and evaporative techniques, the bookish Hatfield contracted with drought-plagued San Diego in 1915 to fill a reservoir in exchange for a big paycheck. Chapters alternate between Hatfield's rain-coaxing work at the reservoir and his life story, including one chapter on the history of pluviculture, or rainmaking. Large, color-tinted archival photos create visual interest, and ample white space keeps the fact-heavy narrative from overwhelming. When heavy storms in the winter of 1916 filled the reservoir (and damaged the city with floods), "Hatfield had fulfilled his agreement... Or had he?" Readers who study this well-researched tale hoping to discover if Hatfield did indeed contribute to the floods bearing his name may be disappointed. Whether Hatfield's methods were legitimate, coincidence, or a little of both is left to conjecture. However, the concluding author's note mentions two later scientists who indisputably used chemicals to seed clouds and cause rain. Ages 9–12. Agent: Karen Grencik, Red Fox Literary. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

★ "This well-written and attractive book... (is a) well-designed, impeccably researched work." —School Library Journal, starred review

★ "Most kids have never heard of Charles Mallory Hatfield, but this fascinating biography will help remedy that... The book's design is a standout, with intriguing historical photos filling the pages and a typeface that makes this invitingly easy to read." — Booklist, starred review

"In December 1915, San Diego's reservoirs were nearly empty, so the city turned to Charles Mallory Hatfield, whose skills at making rain were legendary... In this attractively designed and illustrated biography, Brimner offers a fascinating, well-timed portrait of an enigmatic character... The generously leaded text is set within wide margins and accompanied by copious archival illustrations; both decisions keep the relatively complex text accessible. An engaging, intriguing story of a fascinating man." — Kirkus Reviews

"During the early twentieth century, Charles Mallory Hatfield claimed that he could coax rain from the sky. His services were offered to drought-plagued cities at the price of up to $1000 per inch of rain, and his success rate was remarkable. [R]eaders are tantalizingly left to contemplate whether he was mostly effective or mostly lucky.... Excellent archival photographs appear throughout, and an author's note..." — The Horn Book

From the Publisher

★ 06/01/2015
Gr 8 Up—In the early 1900s, California sewing machine salesman Charles Mallory Hatfield claimed he had developed a "scientific" method for producing rain. Dramatic newspaper accounts publicized his successes. Brimner now tells the enigmatic Hatfield's story, placing it into the context of an era defined both by widespread belief that science would conquer all problems, even the weather, and flimflam men who exploited a credulous public for fame and fortune. He discusses Hatfield's lifelong obsession with rain and efforts to control it and his contentious relationships with weather service scientists. In 1915, the city of San Diego hired Hatfield to produce enough rain to fill its reservoirs. As he began blowing his chemicals into the atmosphere in early 1916, the entire region was hit with record rainfall that destroyed dams, flooded the city, and caused considerable loss of life. Hatfield spent years battling with San Diego officials about his payment. He never divulged his methods, and when 20th-century flood and water projects provided stable water supplies, he eventually faded into obscurity. Brimner allows readers to decide if Hatfield was a miracle worker or a fraud. This well-written and attractive book, with its many double-page period photos includes much detail and explores a figure who might otherwise be a regional footnote to 20th-century history. VERDICT A well-designed, impeccably researched work.—Mary Mueller, Rolla Public Schools, MO

School Library Journal

2015-06-06
In December 1915, San Diego's reservoirs were nearly empty, so the city turned to Charles Mallory Hatfield, whose skills at making rain were legendary. Hatfield, who claimed no supernatural powers, had perfected a method of sending a concoction of evaporating chemicals into the atmosphere to make rain fall. The San Diego City Council contracted with Hatfield to fill the Morena Resevoir to overflowing, for which he would receive $10,000 if successful. A light drizzle quickly turned into torrents, resulting in flooded roads, washed-out bridges, burst dams, widespread property damage, and several fatalities. Blaming Hatfield for the disaster, the City Council refused to pay him. Hatfield was more than compensated for his lost fee by the publicity, and he continued his rainmaking work into the 1930s. When he died in 1958, Hatfield took his rainmaking chemical formula with him. His success in making rain remains a mystery. In this attractively designed and illustrated biography, Brimner offers a fascinating, well-timed portrait of an enigmatic character, providing contextualizing information and efficiently exploring the San Diego controversy. Readers will not find an explanation of how Hatfield acquired his knowledge of chemical processes or his methods of experimentation. The generously leaded text is set within wide margins and accompanied by copious archival illustrations; both decisions keep the relatively complex text accessible. An engaging, intriguing story of a fascinating man. (author's note, bibliography, source notes, index) (Biography. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews