The Children's Blizzard
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- Create Date：2021-12-28 08:51:56
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Melanie Benjamin
- ISBN：0399182306
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Summary
The morning of January 12， 1888， was unusually mild， following a punishing cold spell。 It was warm enough for the homesteaders of the Dakota Territory to venture out again， and for their children to return to school without their heavy coats—leaving them unprepared when disaster struck。 At the hour when most prairie schools were letting out for the day， a terrifying， fast-moving blizzard blew in without warning。 Schoolteachers as young as sixteen were suddenly faced with life and death decisions: Keep the children inside， to risk freezing to death when fuel ran out， or send them home， praying they wouldn’t get lost in the storm？
Based on actual oral histories of survivors， this gripping novel follows the stories of Raina and Gerda Olsen， two sisters， both schoolteachers—one becomes a hero of the storm and the other finds herself ostracized in the aftermath。 It’s also the story of Anette Pedersen， a servant girl whose miraculous survival serves as a turning point in her life and touches the heart of Gavin Woodson， a newspaperman seeking redemption。 It was Woodson and others like him who wrote the embellished news stories that lured northern European immigrants across the sea to settle a pitiless land。 Boosters needed them to settle territories into states， and they didn’t care what lies they told these families to get them there—or whose land it originally was。
At its heart， this is a story of courage， of children forced to grow up too soon， tied to the land because of their parents’ choices。 It is a story of love taking root in the hard prairie ground， and of families being torn asunder by a ferocious storm that is little remembered today—because so many of its victims were immigrants to this country。
Based on actual oral histories of survivors， this gripping novel follows the stories of Raina and Gerda Olsen， two sisters， both schoolteachers—one becomes a hero of the storm and the other finds herself ostracized in the aftermath。 It’s also the story of Anette Pedersen， a servant girl whose miraculous survival serves as a turning point in her life and touches the heart of Gavin Woodson， a newspaperman seeking redemption。 It was Woodson and others like him who wrote the embellished news stories that lured northern European immigrants across the sea to settle a pitiless land。 Boosters needed them to settle territories into states， and they didn’t care what lies they told these families to get them there—or whose land it originally was。
At its heart， this is a story of courage， of children forced to grow up too soon， tied to the land because of their parents’ choices。 It is a story of love taking root in the hard prairie ground， and of families being torn asunder by a ferocious storm that is little remembered today—because so many of its victims were immigrants to this country。
Reviews
Laura Novobilsky
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Liked it。 Interesting reading about life on the prairie and the sudden blizzard that claimed so many lives。 The stories of Raina， Gerda， and Annete before， during， and after the blizzard gave a good perspective of what life was like。 I felt the last quarter of the book was not quite as entertaining since it jumped forward several years at a time and the storylines of the 3 main characters were so divergent。
Victoria Shepherd
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An engrossing and beautifully written book， with characters who capture the reader’s heart and imagination。 A riveting look at the unromantic side of pioneering。
Kara Durgin
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I couldn't put this book down; fascinating historical fiction set in 1888 when homesteaders （immigrants from Norway） were trying to survive life in the territory now known as Nebraska。 While the characters are only based on personal accounts， the actual events happened and are mind blowing。 So， so good （especially to read in a year where things have been hard。 hard is relative。。。。） I couldn't put this book down; fascinating historical fiction set in 1888 when homesteaders （immigrants from Norway） were trying to survive life in the territory now known as Nebraska。 While the characters are only based on personal accounts， the actual events happened and are mind blowing。 So， so good （especially to read in a year where things have been hard。 hard is relative。。。。） 。。。more
Chris Chase
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It took sa little bit to warm up to this book but the plot wasgoodaswere the characters。
Krysta
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This is definitely a case of me expecting something different than what the book offered。 Maybe I should have dug around in the reviews a bit more… or maybe it’s not promoted correctly。 Looking at the rating it was more likely my bad。 This is listed as a historical fiction about the children’s blizzard that happened in 1888。 The day began unusually warm for winter in the Dakota territory， and with no weatherman to help prepare what was ahead， they went about their business in thin shalls to scho This is definitely a case of me expecting something different than what the book offered。 Maybe I should have dug around in the reviews a bit more… or maybe it’s not promoted correctly。 Looking at the rating it was more likely my bad。 This is listed as a historical fiction about the children’s blizzard that happened in 1888。 The day began unusually warm for winter in the Dakota territory， and with no weatherman to help prepare what was ahead， they went about their business in thin shalls to school。 So when the blizzard hit at the end of the day， they weren’t dressed properly when they were sent home， or didn’t have food stored at school for the smarter teachers who kept them there。 This was the premise that had gotten me excited。 I was picturing a story that I could completely get lost emotionally in， a survival story like ‘Alive’， stepping you through events that are a struggle to read but you do because you know that there were people who had to live it。 The first 30-40% is ok， but then I felt it skimmed soo quickly over the darker details， someone some place else reading the real atrocities through a newspaper， the ones we could never imagine doing in a survival situation。 Then moves on。 Most of this story is about 7ish random people and their life on a farm， which also can sound interesting for that time。 But I didn’t feel like I learned anything about that life。 I would have loved taking time in exploring the settlers before coming， how they heard about the land， their excitement and then make me feel the struggle once they got here。 It just didn’t feel real。 I wasn’t connecting。 It read more like a soap opera in a settlers setting。 There was one part where the teacher explains how she won’t say anything about the male teachers being inappropriate with the young female students… which again should be emotional and shocking。 But it was soo brief and generic。 I would have liked to feel her uncomfort in catching a teacher do this and making the unfavorable decision， or how she looks away when a teacher leads a girl for a one on one， or have her look into the eyes of the students who carry fear and trauma and her pain in turning away…。 Something that was on page， something to make me feel it。 Anything disturbing or emotional was all off page。 Given to you like a generic after report。 I think， when an author wants to write a historical book， but have the historic event on the side lines and focus on people， it needs to be a historical character study of that time。 Otherwise it’s just a completely fictional story with a historical backdrop。 I just wasn’t feeling it。 I zoned out a lot， I couldn’t pay attention as I read so I know I missed a lot… none of it felt important。What I did enjoy？ The authors note on the actual historical events。 Why make up dramatic story lines when you already had gold in the palm of your hand？？I don’t know， that’s my two cents on how I felt。 If your a reader that thinks the above is important to enjoy a story， don’t read it… if you enjoy soap opera stories with little to none historical facts， then please read it， it’s still written well。 I’m not a writer， I’m nota literary scholar， I’m not qualified to make suggestions… but it’s a long winded review of how I felt。 。。。more
Anne
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it was okMoved a little slow。 Wished there was a bit more detail in what happed to others a in the end
Jeannie Bilodeau
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I really enjoyed this。 Such life and death situations with lifelong consequences for children to cope with。 Very well written ，highly recommend。
Kristi
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Dakota Territory/Nebraska January 12， 1888I'm not sure what I was expecting， but I'm also sure this was not it （does that even make sense。。。lol）。 I will say I thought the author did a great job of expressing the hardship and emotions some of the characters went through and dealt with。 Words I would use to describe the overall feel of the book: sad， heartbreaking， misery， and depressing - but mostly sad。 I had never heard of "The Children's Blizzard" until I came across the title of this book。 I Dakota Territory/Nebraska January 12， 1888I'm not sure what I was expecting， but I'm also sure this was not it （does that even make sense。。。lol）。 I will say I thought the author did a great job of expressing the hardship and emotions some of the characters went through and dealt with。 Words I would use to describe the overall feel of the book: sad， heartbreaking， misery， and depressing - but mostly sad。 I had never heard of "The Children's Blizzard" until I came across the title of this book。 I did find that part of the book most interesting and wished it would have elaborated more on the storm than the lives of the sisters。 The use of deity and profanity is laced throughout the book as well。 This was a downer for me。 I cringed every time the Lord's name was used in such a careless way。 Rating: R-due to language， murderLanguage: use of deity， profanityRecommend: not at this time 。。。more
Judy Kullenberg
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Sad
Squeaky
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Although this seemed very interesting to me， the way the story line kept starting and stopping and going back to the beginning with the introduction to a new character- just wasn't for me。 DNF Although this seemed very interesting to me， the way the story line kept starting and stopping and going back to the beginning with the introduction to a new character- just wasn't for me。 DNF 。。。more
Barbara
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This is a book about the prairie。 The story is about the people who draw them there， the immigrants who expect the land of milk and honey， the parents who are disappointed in what life gives them， the teachers who are children themselves and the children who have to grow up fast， the land that’s harsh and unforgiving and the weather that is fickle and mean。 It centers around the blizzard of 1888。 But it’s so much more。 Heartbreaking at times， redemptive and desolate。 My #1 book of the year。
Kaydi Johnson
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Interesting historical fiction， but it went on and on and on。 That is probably what the author wanted，but it was long。 A few surprises， which made it worth the listen。
Josephine Zito Walsh
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Great historical novel。。。 True story about the January 12，1888， Blizzard in the Dakota Territory。
Ellen
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What an amazing story of life on the Great Plains and the blizzard of 1888。 It but as children were in school and many died trying to get to safer structures。 This story highlights two sisters - Gerda and Raina- who handle the storm differently and life turns out differently after it。
Rita Schneeberger
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It's a very good book about a teacher in a one room school house during a horrible blizzard。 The writing is so good， you're right with her as she leads the children to safety It's a very good book about a teacher in a one room school house during a horrible blizzard。 The writing is so good， you're right with her as she leads the children to safety 。。。more
SueEllen Schack
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While I really enjoyed this book， I was disappointed in the foul language。 It was totally unnecessary。 Other than that， it was well written and worth reading。 The 3 story lines were woven together seamlessly and were easy to follow。 The language is the only reason I’m not giving it 5 stars。
Vickie Dee
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Listened on audio book and really enjoyed the narrator's "norwegian" accent。 Listened on audio book and really enjoyed the narrator's "norwegian" accent。 。。。more
Lynn
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Very interesting story about a freak blizzard on the prairie。 How two teachers handled it set the tone for the rest of their lives。 The book tended to drag， though， interspersed with interesting bits。
Dale Kueter
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Helen， my wife， loved this story wrapped around an 1888 blizzard。 I found it OK。 Historical novels still have to be true to nature and distance。 I found some things in the story to be improbable。 For instance， this guy leaves Omaha in a horse and sleigh for Holt County near Dakota。 That's a long trip， but it doesn't seem so in the story。 Helen， my wife， loved this story wrapped around an 1888 blizzard。 I found it OK。 Historical novels still have to be true to nature and distance。 I found some things in the story to be improbable。 For instance， this guy leaves Omaha in a horse and sleigh for Holt County near Dakota。 That's a long trip， but it doesn't seem so in the story。 。。。more
Tina Graves
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Sue’s pick for my Dec Enthusiatic Pollinators Book Club read。 This book is literally and figuratively a chilling read， but an important part of our history。 Jan 13， 1988 a deadly unexpectedly blizzard hit strong and fast on the plains of Nebraska and Southern Dakota， dubbed the “Children’s Blizzard” for it hit just as the children were being released from school 🥺Melanie Benjamin does a great job writhing a fictional novel on this tragic event， using articles from those who survived along with t Sue’s pick for my Dec Enthusiatic Pollinators Book Club read。 This book is literally and figuratively a chilling read， but an important part of our history。 Jan 13， 1988 a deadly unexpectedly blizzard hit strong and fast on the plains of Nebraska and Southern Dakota， dubbed the “Children’s Blizzard” for it hit just as the children were being released from school 🥺Melanie Benjamin does a great job writhing a fictional novel on this tragic event， using articles from those who survived along with the history of weather forecasting- this combined with the perspective of 3 main female characters wove her story together making it very relatable and a good read ！！ 。。。more
Linda
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I had never heard of this devastating blizzard in 1888 that took the lives of so many school children who were caught unprepared。 This fictionalized story is heartbreaking。 Life on the prairie was already hard on the homesteaders， but to lose so many to the storm must have been unimaginable。
Lauren Hopkins
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Having read the 2004 nonfiction book about the children's blizzard， I was wary of a fictionalized version with the same name， but I'm glad I gave it a shot。 I think the author did a strong job using the stories of survivors that are featured in David Laskin's work to create characters with lives outside of the blizzard。 The novel explores these characters around the blizzard， and while the storm is the main event and while I probably wouldn't have been super interested in these particular charac Having read the 2004 nonfiction book about the children's blizzard， I was wary of a fictionalized version with the same name， but I'm glad I gave it a shot。 I think the author did a strong job using the stories of survivors that are featured in David Laskin's work to create characters with lives outside of the blizzard。 The novel explores these characters around the blizzard， and while the storm is the main event and while I probably wouldn't have been super interested in these particular characters and their lives without the main point of conflict， getting to know them in and around that context made the tragedy all the more realistic。 I think the author also tied in lots of important historic facts in a way that worked within the story， rather than just inserting chapters with bullet-point stats like I've seen done before。 。。。more
Lynette
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Haunting。 I loved that there were so many points of view， and that the book didn't end with the end of the blizzard。 Haunting。 I loved that there were so many points of view， and that the book didn't end with the end of the blizzard。 。。。more
Debbie Zaleski
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I 've tried to read this 3 times， but I just couldn't connect with any of the characters。 I 've tried to read this 3 times， but I just couldn't connect with any of the characters。 。。。more
Helen Rosenberg
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A very interesting piece of historical fiction。 Personally， I had no idea about this historical event。 This book really digs deep into the hardship of lives of the homesteaders who settled the plains。
Jess Sanborn
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"This godforsaken place。 It killed these poor bastards， then refused to receive their bodies with any kind of dignity。" "The Great Plains were immense enough to inspire the grades， most foolish of dreams-but they were also vast enough that no one could ever explore every corner。" "The land made boys become men too soon， turned young men old before their time， so it always needed more men。""But just like a fairy tale， one sister remained good， while the other was branded forever。" "It was the sto "This godforsaken place。 It killed these poor bastards， then refused to receive their bodies with any kind of dignity。" "The Great Plains were immense enough to inspire the grades， most foolish of dreams-but they were also vast enough that no one could ever explore every corner。" "The land made boys become men too soon， turned young men old before their time， so it always needed more men。""But just like a fairy tale， one sister remained good， while the other was branded forever。" "It was the storm， of course - it blew us out of there， in a way。 You because you did the right thing; me， because I didn't。"Enjoyed this book for the following reasons: - Not too many books are about the Great Plains and this is the first time I am reading about the "children's blizzard" as they called it。 It reminded me of the Four Winds， and learning about how brutal the land was for families， but how determined and tough families living in this area during this time survived。 - The sister dynamics are interesting and I feel like there can be a lot of discussion between Raina and Gerda。 While I do not think Gerda should blame herself for her incorrect judgement （it was a mistake！）， I understand why she feels guilty and I would probably behave similarly if I was in her situation。- I liked the different viewpoints of the storm， and there is a lot of tragedy but there is also a lot of authentic relationship making which I think is very realistic to how life is， especially while trying to survive those hard conditions back then。 。。。more
Katrina Kuhn
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Historical fictional is pretty much my favorite。 I had never heard of “The Children’s Blizzard，” and was interested to learn more about the event of the storm。 Overall， I enjoyed this。 It was a quick and easy read， and felt well researched。 However， I never did fall in love with any of characters， and thought some of the narratives weren’t necessary to complete the story。 And yet， the author didn’t really have an ending for some of the characters — just left to your imagination。
Jnell
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Does it make sense to say I enjoyed the story a lot but not necessarily the book？ I found the book to be a little unorganized。 Often I wasn't sure whose point of view was being described until I read on for a while。 I like my stories complete， with all characters having total closure。 I'm very happy that a certain couple end up together :） which I totally did not see coming。 Does it make sense to say I enjoyed the story a lot but not necessarily the book？ I found the book to be a little unorganized。 Often I wasn't sure whose point of view was being described until I read on for a while。 I like my stories complete， with all characters having total closure。 I'm very happy that a certain couple end up together :） which I totally did not see coming。 。。。more
Karenj
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One of my favorite historical fiction authors。 I like that her books teach me about events and people that are not often written about。 This book is about more than just a bad snowstorm。 It is more about the people that settled the plain states and the difficulties that the faced in an effort to make a better life for themselves and their children。
Annie
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This was a very interesting story of the famous 1888 blizzard on the plains of Nebraska。 I enjoyed the history behind it and the stories， characters that were largely made up but using historical facts as the background。 There were plenty of sad parts， and many good ones too， and an interesting ending。 The one thing I didn't like was the swearing by the Omaha newspaperman- could have done without that。 :） But a good read and interesting tale！ This was a very interesting story of the famous 1888 blizzard on the plains of Nebraska。 I enjoyed the history behind it and the stories， characters that were largely made up but using historical facts as the background。 There were plenty of sad parts， and many good ones too， and an interesting ending。 The one thing I didn't like was the swearing by the Omaha newspaperman- could have done without that。 :） But a good read and interesting tale！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Children's Blizzard
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Children's Blizzard&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft