Under the Ashes
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
Eleven-year-old Elizabeth "Littlebeth" Morgan is staying with her aunt in San Francisco when the Great Quake strikes. In a city that's broken and burning, she must find a way to survive.
Eleven-year-old Elizabeth "Littlebeth" Morgan would rather race the boys, chase skunks, and read about bandits than act like a lady. So her parents send her to her maiden aunt in San Francisco to be tamed and refined. But when an earthquake hits and she's separated from her aunt, Littlebeth must use her fearless nature and quick-thinking to survive in a city that's broken and burning.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Rankin's brisk-moving debut places a spirited heroine at the center of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Eleven-year-old narrator Littlebeth Morgan's unladylike antics go unappreciated by her exasperated family, even after she saves her little brother from a rattlesnake ("Held my breath to true my aim, then smote that critter to kingdom come"); following the snake incident, she is sent away from her home in Paso Robles to live with her refined maiden aunt in San Francisco. Aunt Sally tries to make Littlebeth conform to the rigid propriety of the day, but she also stands out as an elegant, independent shop owner. Littlebeth quickly takes to the charming Mr. Steinberg Sally's neighbor and would-be suitor and tries to encourage their frustrated romance, especially when they attend a rehearsal of Carmen at the Grand Opera House. The tone shifts dramatically when the earthquake strikes and Littlebeth becomes separated from her aunt and meets up with tenor Enrico Caruso, as well as a Chinese orphan. Littlebeth's resilience and strong, memorable voice make this a vivid account of grace under fire. Ages 9 12.
