Could an entire city really burn to the ground? Oscar Starling never wanted to come to Chicago. But then Oscar finds himself not just in the heart of the big city, but in the middle of a terrible fire! No one knows exactly how it began, but one thing is clear: Chicago is like a giant powder keg about to explode.An army of firemen is trying to help, but this fire is a ferocious beast that wants to devour everything in its path, including Oscar! Will Oscar survive one of the most famous and devastating fires in history? Lauren Tarshis brings history's most exciting and terrifying events to life in this New York Times-bestselling series. Readers will be transported by stories of amazing kids and how they survived!

The Great Fire of 1871 was one of most colossal disasters in American history. Overnight, the flourshing city of Chicago was transformed into a smoldering wasteland. The damage was so profound that few people believed the city could ever rise again.By weaving personal accounts of actual survivors together with the carefully researched history of Chicago and the disaster, Jim Murphy constructs a riveting narrative that recreates the event with drama and immediacy. And finally, he reveals how, even in a time of deepest dispair, the human spirit triumphed, as the people of Chicago found the courage and strength to build their city once again.

From the author of the New York Times-bestselling I Survived series come four harrowing true stories of survival, featuring real kids in the midst of epic disasters. REAL KIDS. REAL DISASTERS.The author of the New York Times-bestselling I Survived series brings us more harrowing true stories of real kids up against terrible forces of nature. From fourteen-year-old lone survivor of the shark attacks of 1916, to nine-year-old who survived the Peshtigo fire of 1871 (which took place on the very same day in history as the Great Chicago Fire!), here are four unforgettable survivors who managed to beat the odds.Read their incredible stories:The Deadly Shark Attacks of 1916The Great Peshtigo Fire of 1871A Venomous Box Jellyfish AttackThe Eruption of Mount Tambora

A heartwarming story from the author of the I Survived series The endearing, if not quirky, Emma-Jean Lazarus is back in the companion to Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree. When Emma-Jean thinks about asking Will Keeler to the Spring Fling dance, she gets a fluttering feeling in her heart. What would someone like Will say to someone like Emma-Jean? After all, Emma-Jean is a little—different. Meanwhile, Emma-Jean's best friend, Colleen, has a secret admirer. With the Spring Fling just days away, she asks Emma-Jean to figure out who he is so maybe then Colleen could ask him to the dance. It's a perfect plan. But what Emma-Jean discovers could have consequences for everyone?.

Originally not wanting to come to Chicago, young Oscar Starling finds himself not only in the middle of the city, but trying to survive when the town is ablaze.

Could an entire city really burn to the ground? Oscar Starling never wanted to come to Chicago. But then Oscar finds himself not just in the heart of the big city, but in the middle of a terrible fire. No one knows exactly how it began, but one thing is clear: Chicago is like a giant powder keg about to explode. An army of firemen is trying to help, but this fire is a ferocious beast that wants to devour everything in its path, including Oscar. Will Oscar survive one of the most famous and devasting fires in history?

While spreading flames threaten to cut off all possibility of escape from the Chicago fire of 1871, twelve-year-old Nate attempts to save a wealthy young girl and to return home safely.