The I Survived series of books, written by Lauren Tarshis, is a collection that takes significant historical moments and brings them to life through the eyes of fictional children. There are 23 books in total, and over 20 million copies of it have been sold around the world.
I’m a huge advocate for history education, and I believe we can learn a lot about how we should act in the future based on how we’ve already acted in the past. I’m passionate about passing this education on to the younger generation as well, and what better way to do that than to give them characters who can bring the past to life through their imaginations?
The I Survived series does just that, and Tarshis does a wonderful job of creating characters that young readers can easily relate to. Imagining yourself in someone else’s shoes is the best way to learn through their story, and that’s what the I Survived series allows you to do. Here are ten of the best, although the entire series is worth checking out.
I Survived the Black Death, 1348
The Black Death is the name given to a pandemic outbreak of the Bubonic Plague that took place across Europe during the Middle Ages, from 1346 to 1353, taking the lives of millions of people.
Although Tarsis doesn’t go into too much detail surrounding the more gruesome and terrifying aspects of the plague (for good reason, it wouldn’t do anybody any good if young readers were given nightmares by her work), I Survived the Black Death does an excellent job of explaining how widespread the pandemic really was, and how quickly it could take root in a community.
I Survived the Battle of D-Day, 1944
On June 6, 1944, British and American troops descended on the coast of Normandy in an attempt to take back France from its German occupiers. I Survived the Battle of D-Day focuses on a French boy called Paul whose town has been occupied for years. His Jewish best friend is missing, and his family is close to starving when the Allied troops begin to take back the land.
Although this, like all of the I Survived books, is heavily fictionalized, it does an amazing job of bringing that horrifying moment of history to life. With Paul trying to help a paratrooper who got stuck in a tree near his home, it’s easy to get sucked into the story and learn without realizing that you are.
I Survived the American Revolution, 1776
I Survived the American Revolution centers around an 11-year-old boy named Nathaniel, who flees his abusive uncle’s home and enters a world of battles and bloodshed in the middle of the Revolutionary War. With little knowledge of the goings-on between the British and the Americans, Nathaniel ends up in New York on the eve of the Battle of Brooklyn.
Although children in America grow up learning about the American Revolution in schools, it’s not taught in detail outside of the USA. As a British person with ties to America, I Survived the American Revolution was hugely educational for me, while also entertaining enough that I didn’t feel like I was reading a study book.
I Survived the Attack of the Grizzlies, 1967
In the same way Smokey Bear delivers his lesson about being fire-safe around forests, the memory of the ‘Night of the Grizzlies’ in 1967 teaches how hikers should act in national parks. Back in 1967, grizzly bears attacked and killed two strangers who were camping in Glacier National Park.
I Survived the Attack of the Grizzlies focuses on the fictional 11-year-old Melody, who finds herself in Glacier National Park on that fateful night. She comes face to face with a hungry grizzly and must find a way to survive.
I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1871
Between October 8 and October 10, 1871, a disastrous and unforgiving fire swept through 3.3 square miles of Chicago, killing over 300 people and leaving more than 100,000 people without homes. It did $222 million worth of damage, equivalent to more than $5.7 billion today.
I Survived the Great Chicago Fire revolves around Oscar Starling, who never wanted to move to Chicago in the first place but finds himself in the middle of hell on earth when the entire city seems to go up in smoke. There are subplots interwoven effortlessly with the main story, and the action never stops as Oscar and his friends fight to survive the blaze.
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912
Imagine the awe a child would feel stepping onto the “unsinkable” Titanic all those years ago, only to find out in the most terrifying way that it is very much sinkable. That’s the situation faced by the fictional star of I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, George, and his younger sister, Phoebe.
This installment of the I Survived series was the first to be released back in 2010, and while it’s not likely to provide new details about the disaster to anyone familiar with it, it’s an eye-opening read for those who may be too young to truly appreciate the true extent of the life-changing night back in 1912.
I’d recommend the graphic novel version of this one because the illustrations are beautiful and really help with immersion.
I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916
Between July 1 and July 12, 1916, a series of shark attacks occurred off the coast of New Jersey. Four people died, and one was critically injured, leaving beach-goers fearing to step foot in the ocean despite the increased numbers near the coast thanks to a heatwave and the polio epidemic in the US at the time. It’s still unknown what type of sharks were responsible for the attacks.
I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916 is the book in the series that focuses on perhaps the least famous event, so it will be shocking to anyone who reads it. Tarshis settled on a Great White Shark as the villain in the fictionalized retelling, focusing on a boy named Chet who was on the coast at the time, witness to the terrifying events.
I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii, 79 AD
It’s hard to imagine anyone surviving the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, which buried at least four Roman towns and killed thousands within a single night. However, that’s the premise of I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii. Of all the I Survived books, this one is the furthest removed from the date of the event, but no less interesting or educational to read.
Focusing on Marcus and his family, the father of which is a man of science rather than mythological creatures. When the ground beneath Pompeii begins to rumble, the townsfolk believe that the creature beneath the volcano is angry but will eventually go back to sleep. Marcus and his father, on the other hand, believe differently. The race to escape Pompeii before it’s buried begins.
I Survived True Stories: Nature Attacks!
The final two entries on this list are slightly different from the others because they are compendiums of true stories of events that took place in recent history. The first is Nature Attacks!, which features stories of animals who turned against humans and natural disasters, told using the stories of actual children who survived the scary events.
In Nature Attacks!, you’ll be able to read true accounts of the following events:
- The shark attacks off the coast of New Jersey in 1916
- The great Peshtigo fire that took place in Wisconsin in 1871
- A venomous Box Jellyfish attack in Australia in 2010
- The eruption of Mount Tambora, Malaysia, in 1815
I Survived True Stories: Courageous Creatures
To round off this list with an entry that proves the series isn’t always harrowing to read, I Survived True Stories: Courageous Creatures focuses on animals who have helped humans rather than attacked them or have otherwise acted bravely in their own right. I’ve always loved stories of animals who prove their courage, so this is a favorite of mine.
In Courageous Creatures, you’ll learn the heartwarming true stories of the following animals:
- The pigeon hero of World War I
- Two dolphins who were captured, and the hero who returned them to the ocean
- 20,000 penguins and their rescue from a disastrous oil spill
- Two cheetahs who got orphaned before going on to adopt an unlikely new father
Published: Jan 3, 2025 10:42 am