THE EARTH DRAGON AWAKES

1.  BIBLIOGRAPHY

Yep, Laurence. 2006. THE EARTH DRAGON AWAKES. New York, NY: HarperCollins.  ISBN 978-0-06-027525-9

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

Living in San Francisco in 1906, young boys Henry and Chin love reading “penny dreadfuls,” cheap paperback action stories with bigger-than-life heroes. The boys consider their fathers pretty dull and non-heroic compared to the protagonists in the stories.  Everything changes when the devastating San Francisco earthquake of 1906 ensues. Through the harrowing events that followed, Henry and Chin discover the real heroes are their own parents.

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS

When the ravaging San Francisco earthquake and fires of 1906 destroy Henry and Chin’s homes and neighborhoods, these boys’ fathers challenge and impress the boys with their valiant and selfless acts in the midst of great loss and tragedy. Many young readers will identify with Henry and Chin’s familiarity with parents’ seemingly routine and uneventful lives. A young boys’ fascination with heroes remains constant from generation to generation. Much like today, children of different cultures and social statuses often bridge social relationships among the adult caregivers.

Laurence Yep paints a vivid description of the neighborhoods and districts of San Francisco and the bay area of the time period. Chin is a Chinese immigrant whose father works as a houseboy for Henry’s wealthy Caucasian family. Typical of the period, Chinese Americans lived in Chinatown, a separate part of the city; segregation was the practice of the day. Yep’s family history and upbringing in the San Francisco Bay area lend additional credibility to this historical fiction. The alternating chapters that rotate between Chin and Henry’s perspectives enable the reader to understand the diverse experiences of the same historical events. The author’s style of short sentences and endless vivid metaphors and similes create cliff-hanging anticipation that makes this historical fiction impossible to put down.

Note that the author includes an extensive Afterword section with biographical references, additional historical facts, additional selected readings, and selected black and white actual photos of the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

4.  REVIEW EXCERPTS & AWARDS

Texas Blue Bonnet Award Nominee 2007-2008

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Yep's research is exhaustive. He covers all the most significant repercussions of the event, its aftershocks, and days of devastating fires, and peppers the story with interesting true-to-life anecdotes.”

BOOKLIST: “Told in the present tense, the narration provides a "you are there" sense of immediacy and will appeal to readers who enjoy action-packed survival stories.”

5.  CONNECTIONS

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE IN ACTION suggests reading and comparing other children’s novels based on the same event:

Gregory, Kristina. EARTHQUAKE AT DAWN.  ISBN: 978-0152046811

Hopkinson, Deborah. INTO THE FIRESTORM.  ISBN: 978-0440421290

Karwoski, Gail Langer. QUAKE: DISASTER IN SAN FRANCISCO.  ISBN: 978-1561453108

Kudlinski, Kathleen C. EARTHQUAKE! A STORY OF THE SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE. ISBN: 978-0140363906

Resources for follow up activities related to science and earthquakes:

O’Brien-Palmer, Michelle.  HOW THE EARTH WORKS: 60 FUN ACTIVITIES FOR EXPLORING VOLCANOES, FOSSILS, EARTHQUAKES, AND MORE

ISBN: 978-1556524424

Christian, Spencer & Felix, A. SHAKE, RATTLE, AND ROLL: THE WORLD’S MOST AMAZING VOLCANOES, EARTHQUAKES, AND OTHER FORCES

ISBN: 978-0471152910

Connection Ideas Resource:

Vardell, Y. M. 2008. CHILDREN’S LITERATURE IN ACTION, A LIBRARIAN’S GUIDE. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited Inc. ISBN: 978-1-59158-557-2