image from Amazon.com
Big Top Burning: The True Story of an Arsonist, a Missing Girl, and the Greatest Show on Earth by Laura A. Woollett.
Published by Chicago Review Press in 2015.
Age level 10 and up; grade level 5 and up.
Summary: Big Top Burning is an examination of the 1944 Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey circus fire in Hartford, Connecticut. The book traces the history of the fire, the victims and survivors, and possible theories as to how the still unsolved disaster started. The fire killed 167 people, and injured 682. The book is 167 pages long, but contains a lot of information for a young reader. There are images included, as well as an index.
My thoughts: Woollett does a fine job of going back to that tragic day in history, by writing about different families who were attending the circus that day. The book appeals to a wide audience-children who like reading about history, who are curious about how the circus was in the past, and even youth who like mysteries or detective stories. At one point Woollett, when describing the mystery of "Little Miss," an unidentified victim of the fire, goes into detail about forensics, and identifying her body, which surprised me. The dental chart of the victim is even included. At first I thought it might be a bit heavy for a young reader, but there are youth who like to read about true crime and detective stories, and the chapter talking about "Little Miss" will surely keep their interest.
The fire itself takes up about half of the book, with the other half delving into how the fire was started, who might have started it, and stories of the survivors and victims' family members. The book is very well organized, in chronological order from the beginning of the day when families set out to see the circus, to modern times and the still present mystery of the fire.
There are many black and white photographs in the book, including the one below of famous Ringling Bros. clown Emmett Kelly Jr., carrying a bucket of water to help douse the flames. With the bleachers burning in the background, Kelly's full clown makeup and dress make up an almost surreal image. A clown, who many associate with laughter and joy, carrying a bucket of water while smoke lingers in the background.
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The image of the scene after the fire is particularly devastating.
Personally, I found the book very interesting. Living so close to Hartford (about 20 miles) the subject of the fire comes up all the time and always piques my curiosity. I had seen an excellent exhibit about the fire two years ago at a state fair, and always wanted to learn more. It might be hard for youth of today to relate to the circus from years ago, since almost all big events are now held in a stadium of some kind, but Woollett really gives great detail about how the circus would travel by train, set up a tent, and how the operations would work back in 1944. It is a great piece of narrative non-fiction, and it made me want to read more about the fire.
There are many websites dedicated to the history of the fire and the victims, but I did not come across any that would be a very good companion to this book. Some of the websites I encountered included graphic images that might be upsetting to young readers. Similar books that young readers might enjoy include Fatal Fever: Tracking Down Typhoid Mary by Gail Jarrow, Titanic: Voices from the Disaster by Deborah Hopkinson and even the I Survive fiction series.
I was not familiar with Big Top Burning - but will definitely have to check it out! My grandparents were huge Ringling Brothers fans and took my sister and myself a number of times. In fact they wintered in Sarasota, FL and took us to the Ringling Home and museum there quite a few times. Interestingly, I don't remember ever hearing about this story before. I'm looking forward to checking it out!
ReplyDeleteSheila, it's a very sad and interesting story. I only heard of the fire when I moved to CT some years ago. I also used to go to the circus as a kid all the time. It's a real story with a mystery component and I really think kids and adults will like reading this book.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed that kids tend to be attracted to tragedies, such as the sinking of the Titanic. I would guess that this book would hold a similar appeal. I like that you indicated the number of pages, and that it includes photographs. That certainly helps when recommending books to young readers.
ReplyDeleteWow! This looks like an interesting story. It was not on my radar. I'll have to give it a look. I like how you break your posts up into the summary and your thoughts on the book, I also liked how you made good connections in your read-alikes. I agree with Stephanie, tragic stories like the Titanic and the I Survived series really appeal to youth. A few other reads to suggest are Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans by Don Brown and An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 by Jim Murphy. Those two books really made an impact on how I looked at those two tragic times, one in our recent history and one a very long time ago.
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