Children ready for short chapter books will enjoy the I Survived… books by Lauren Tarshis (the author of Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree).
These action-packed adventures tell the story of a child, usually a boy, who has survived a catastrophe – like the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, 2005 Hurricane Katrina, etc. The stories themselves are fiction, although the events are real.
Tarshis includes enough details to make events feel real, but not enough to make it too gory for young readers. But readers who scare easily or who are anxious may want to avoid reading these books. My 9-year-old loves these books because they’re exciting and he can read them quickly.
Books in the series include:
- I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906
- I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005
- I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941
- I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916
- I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912
- I Survived the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863
- I Survived the Attacks of September 11, 2001
Recommended for ages 5-10, depending upon reading ability.
Cultivating Readers 
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