About This Book

Ten-year-old Leo loves being a newsboy in San Francisco. Not only does he get to make some money to help his family, he's free to explore the amazing city as it changes and grows with the new century. In 1906, horse-drawn carriages share the streets with shiny new automobiles, new businesses and families are moving in every day from everywhere, and anything seems possible. But one minute changes everything.

That's how long it takes the Great Earthquake of 1906 to destroy 500 blocks of San Francisco. Leo's world is shaken — literally — and now every second could mean the difference between life and death as the city crumbles and burns to the ground right before his eyes. Does he have what it takes to survive this devastating disaster?

About the Authors or Illustrators

Lauren Tarshis

Lauren Tarshis is the editor of Scholastic's Storyworks and Scope magazines and the author of the critically acclaimed novels Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell out of a Tree and Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love. She lives in Connecticut.

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