The boy who saved Cleveland : based on a true story

Format:

Book

Title:

The boy who saved Cleveland : based on a true story

Author:

Giblin, James Cross, 1933-2016.

ISBN:

9780805073553

Edition:

1st ed.

Publication Information:

New York : Henry Holt, 2006.

Physical Description:

xi, 64 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Contents:

Chapter 1. The shakes and fever -- Chapter 2. What's happened to Pa? -- Chapter 3. To the mill -- Chapter 4. Sickness everywhere -- Chapter 5. Even Ma is ill -- Chapter 6. The bear -- Chapter 7. The sacks are so heavy -- Chapter 8. A wonderful present -- Author's note.

Summary:

During a malaria epidemic in late eighteenth-century Cleveland, Ohio, ten-year-old Seth Doan surprises his family, his neighbors, and himself by having the strength to carry and grind enough corn to feed everyone.

Program Information:

Accelerated Reader/Renaissance Learning LG 4.6 1.

Reading Counts RC 3-5 4.1 4.0 38707.

Accelerated Reader AR LG 4.6 1.0 105495.

Subject(s):

Frontier and pioneer life -- Ohio -- Juvenile fiction.

Self-confidence -- Juvenile fiction.

Epidemics -- Juvenile fiction.

Sick -- Juvenile fiction.

Malaria -- Juvenile fiction.

Frontier and pioneer life -- Ohio -- Fiction.

Self-confidence -- Fiction.

Epidemics -- Fiction.

Sick -- Fiction.

Malaria -- Fiction.

Ohio -- History -- 18th century -- Juvenile fiction.

Ohio -- History -- 18th century -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

Ohio -- History -- 18th century -- Juvenile fiction.

Ohio -- History -- 18th century -- Fiction.

Ohio.

Genre:

Historical fiction, Juvenile.

Added Author:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Monmouth Public Library	J Fic Giblin, J. 2006	Searching... Unknown
Searching... McMinnville Public Library	Giblin, J.	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

If not for Seth Doan, the city of Cleveland wouldn't exist today...

In 1798, Cleveland, Ohio, was in danger of being wiped out by a malaria epidemic. Based on fact, this book tells the remarkable story of Seth Doan, a young boy whose heroic efforts kept his family and neighbors alive and ultimately put the city of Cleveland on the map. J

im Giblin's first full-length work of historical fiction, this chapter book is perfect for kids of that in-between ageâe"too old for picture books and too young for full-length novels.

The Boy Who Saved Cleveland is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Author Notes

James Cross Giblin was born in Cleveland, Ohio on July 8, 1933. He received a B. A. from Western Reserve University in 1954 and an M.F.A. in creative writing from Columbia University in 1955. He pursued playwriting before taking a job at Criterion Books in 1959. He focused on the children's book field. In the early to mid-1960s, he was an associate editor at Lothrop, Lee and Shepard. In 1967, he moved to Seabury Press, where he became editor-in-chief, spearheading the development of the children's book line there, later called Clarion Books. When Houghton Mifflin bought Clarion in the late 1970s, he moved to the company as Clarion's publisher. As an editor, he worked with such authors as Eileen Christelow and Mary Downing Hahn.

His first children's book, The Scarecrow Book written with Dale Ferguson, was published in 1980. During his lifetime, he wrote more than 20 books for young readers, mainly nonfiction, historical nonfiction, and biographies. He won several awards including the 1983 National Book Award for Chimney Sweeps: Yesterday and Today and the 2003 Sibert Medal for The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler. He died on April 10, 2016 at the age of 82.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (5)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-4-Giblin bases this novel on actual historical events. In 1798, Ohio wasn't a state yet and Cleveland was just three cabins in the woods. Seth Doan lives in one of those cabins with his sister and parents. Like any youth of that time and place, the 10-year-old is well aware of how fragile life can be. A cross marks the grave of his baby brother, and he still misses the twins who died back East. When his family falls ill of malaria, the boy must make the four-mile round trip to grind corn, the mainstay of their diet. The other families also fall ill, so the settlement's survival depends on him. Giblin describes well the pioneers' spartan way of life. Seth's family owns just one book, the Bible. He loves its stories, and turns to them to calm his fears. The author's straightforward style underplays the drama that the title reflects. Like boys of his time, Seth simply does what needs to be done. Adults will admire the themes of perseverance, education, and responsibility. Young readers will enjoy the clear writing and plot-driven pace. Dooling's full-page pencil-on-paper illustrations convey the time period as well as the emotional tone. A solid choice for those seeking pioneer fiction and strong characters.-Pat Leach, Lincoln City Libraries, NE (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

Giblin (The Life and Death of Adolph Hitler) illuminates an inspiring sliver of American history in this novel starring an intrepid, selfless 10-year-old whose efforts save the lives of his family and neighbors. The author credibly recreates the past as he describes the tiny settlement of Cleveland, Ohio, in 1798-then consisting merely of three log cabins set in cleared forestland and bordered by cornfields. Seth Doan, his parents and older sister have recently moved to this remote frontier post from Connecticut. The Doans' three other sons had previously died-twins of lung fever and an infant of colic. Seth misses his grandparents and the friends he left behind, but finds solace in reading the Bible-the only book his family took with them on their trip west. After his sister, father and finally his mother come down with "the shakes and fever" (a form of malaria), Seth must do all the chores and keep his feverish family members fed-which entails daily treks to the mill to grind corn into cornmeal. And when the disease strikes the nearby households, the boy ensures that the neighbors, too, get food. Seth survives his own bout with the dread illness, and the grateful community rewards him with profound thanks-and a novel of his own. Crisply and succinctly told, this engaging tale featuring a real-life peer and a generous number of atmospheric drawings is just right for readers ready for chapter books. Ages 8-12. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Horn Book Review

Cleveland, Ohio, is a tiny settlement in 1798 when every resident but one falls gravely ill, leaving young Seth Doan to do the work necessary to keep the others alive. This straightforward story provides insight into the struggles and triumphs of pioneer life. Short chapters and clear characterizations make it a good choice for reading aloud. Black-and-white pencil illustrations accompany the text. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Kirkus Review

Famed nonfiction writer Giblin makes a mostly successful foray into historical fiction with this slim novel based on a true story. In the summer of 1798, Cleveland, Ohio is a tiny three-cabin settlement reachable only by flatboat from Lake Erie. Without horses or mules, the settlers walk to a mill two miles away to grind their dried corn into meal--the mainstay of their diet until their first harvest. When malaria strikes, ten-year-old Seth, the last one still healthy, must make the daily trip alone, carrying enough corn to keep everyone fed. Giblin's history is impeccable, but the plain style that serves him so well in nonfiction is a liability here--he doesn't put the reader firmly into Seth's shoes, or make his struggle seem large enough that success is anything but assured. Still, this will interest young readers and could spark interesting classroom discussion. (Historical fiction. 7-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

Gr. 3-6. Giblin recounts the story of 10-year-old Seth Doan, who helped to save the early settlers of Cleveland, Ohio, during an outbreak of malaria in 1798. When the shakes and fever fell his parents and sister, only Seth is left to carry water, nurse the sick, and haul corn two miles uphill to the Kingsbury mill to be ground into cornmeal for the day's food. It's a big job for a boy, complicated by the fact that the Doans' neighbors are also sick, so he must also carry corn for them. One of Giblin's few forays into fiction, this story feels like a natural extension of his highly respected nonfiction work; the background research is still clearly evident, but added to that are some finely nuanced, believable characters. Dooling's realistic pencil illustrations, which focus on the characters and their feelings, will help younger readers to visualize the rustic setting. A welcome addition to the first-chapter-book genre and to the historical fiction shelves. --Kay Weisman Copyright 2006 Booklist