Bookverdict.com

Gr 6-9 Smelcer draws on the early-20th-century history of his native Alaskan ancestors for this story based on the tragic effects of the white man's diseases on people who had neither natural immunity nor medicines to fight them. Two sisters, Millie and Maura, ages 13 and 10, are the sole survivors of such an epidemic in their village. Knowing that they cannot manage on their own, they strike off downriver in hopes of finding people who are still alive. The author ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

A gripping and poignant survival story, made even more so because of its basis on historical fact. Two sisters are the only survivors of a devastating smallpox epidemic that rips through their small Alaskan Native village in 1917. Millie (thirteen, responsible, stoic) and Maura (ten, kind, open-hearted) set off downriver to find the trading settlement their father has often spoken of—and, they hope, other survivors of the Great Death. The girls encounter perils from the start: maraudin...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Sisters Millie and Maura are the only survivors of a smallpox epidemic that rips through their Alaskan Native village in 1917. Fa...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

The Great Death is an emotional account of devastation, loss, and self-discovery. Author John Smelcer provides a wealth of detail about the Alaskan village and its inhabitants, including the construction and sparse furnishings of the villagers’ homes, the people’s day-to-day activities, and a look at how special days are celebrated. The relationship between responsible Millie and her timid younger sister, Maura, also feels authentic. As the two journey together, Maura is forced to grow up, while Millie comes to understand how important her s...Log In or Sign Up to Read More