Jean Franklin (Booklist, Feb. 15, 2001 (Vol. 97, No. 12))
On March 10, 1888, the weather on the eastern coast of the U.S. was so pleasant that families were picnicking. By Monday morning, however, a huge, destructive blizzard--actually two storms--stretched from Delaware north to Maine and as far west as the Mississippi River. New York City had 21 inches of drifting snow; Troy, New York, was blanketed under 55 inches. Supplies of fuel, food, and milk dwindled; power lines snapped; trains were trapped; nearly 200 ships were lost at sea; and an estimated 800 people died in New York City alone. No wonder some called the storm "The Great White Hurricane." Like Murphy's award-winning The Great Fire (1995), this is an example of stellar nonfiction. The haunting jacket illustration grabs attention, and the dramatic power of the splendid narrative, coupled with carefully selected anecdotes, newspaper accounts, and vintage and contemporary photos, will keep the pages turning. Murphy does a fine job describing the incredible storm, the reasons behind the tragic consequences, and the terrifying fates of victims. A splendid choice for booktalking; order several copies. Notes are appended. Category: Books for Older Readers--Nonfiction. 2000, Scholastic, $18.95. Gr. 5-9. Starred Review

Sharon Salluzzo (Children's Literature)
No one saw it coming, especially since the previous day was unusually warm. The U.S. Army Signal Corps, who gathered the weather data at that time, said there would be "fair weather throughout the Atlantic States." They could not have been more wrong. The blizzard of 1888 was about to begin. The three-day storm was felt all along the East Coast. The fierce winds and heavy snowfall brought down telegraph lines, cutting communication between cities. Trains were unable to run, and it was impossible to keep the streets clear. Murphy provides the personal touch with his accounts of individuals; some survived the storm and others did not. His clear and even-handed approach to describing the details makes this a page-turner. He never sensationalizes. He concludes with the many changes made in predicting the weather and in the role of government, such as the creation of the U.S. Weather Bureau, legislation to make the government responsible for clearing the streets, and the laying of telephone and electrical wires underground. Sepia-toned photographs and drawings, captioned by the author, will captivate the reader. Murphy is as sharp here as he was in The Great Fire. 2000, Scholastic Press, $18.95. Ages 9 to 12.

Jan Lieberman (Children's Literature)
Natural disasters hold a fascination for all readers because there is no way to predict their magnitude or how you might respond under extreme conditions. Jim Murphy's book is the gripping story of just such a storm. It all began so innocently when the East Coast was enjoying unseasonably warm weather for March 10, 1888. Within 24 hours, two weather systems merged and began revealing their fury. Murphy places the reader smack in the middle of the action, telling the stories of both victims and survivors. The storm raged for three days, shutting down all services and communication throughout the East. It is a riveting read-aloud that shows our vulnerability to the vagaries of weather. Amazing period photos of the cities and of the devastation add to the readers' interest. 2000, Scholastic, $18.95. Ages 9 up.

CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2001)
When it started to rain on Sunday, March 11, 1888, no one suspected it would become a blizzard of mammoth proportions. More than 400 people perished in the four-day storm, which brought the East Coast to a complete standstill. Jim Murphy weaves together more than a dozen personal stories of survivors to provide a dramatic firsthand account of the various responses individuals had to the blizzard of 1888. These accounts are combined with (often hyperbolic) reports from many newspapers. Documentary photographs and line drawings from the time also give readers a sense of the enormity of the storm, which went on to have a great impact on public policy in both local and national government. The blizzard inspired city governments to create plans for snow removal and other future emergencies. It also helped push through plans for New York City's subway system. On a national level, the huge snowfall led to the establishment of the modern-day United States Weather Bureau. But the blizzard of 1888 left individual memories of both heroes and scoundrels, as ordinary folks tried to carry on with their day-to-day lives amidst mountains of snow. CCBC categories: Historical People, Places, and Events. 2000, Scholastic Press, 136 pages, $18.95. Ages 9-14.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, November 15, 2000 (Vol. 68, No. 22))
In the same format as his Newbery Honor title "The Great Fire "(1995), Murphy brings the blizzard of 1888 to life. He shows how military weather-monitoring practices, housing and employment conditions, and politics regarding waste management, transportation monopolies, and utilities regulation, all contributed to--and were subsequently affected by--the disaster. He does so through an appealing narrative, making use of first-hand accounts whose sources he describes in his notes at the end (though, disappointingly he cites nothing directly in the text). The wealth of quotable material made available through the letters of members of "the Society of Blizzard Men and Blizzard Ladies" and other sources help to make the story vivid. Many drawings and photographs (some of the blizzard, but most of related scenes) illustrate the text. These large reproductions are all in a sepia-tone that matches the color of the typeface--an effect that feels over-the-top, but doesn't detract significantly from the power of the story. Murphy's ability to pull in details that lend context allows him to tell this story of a place in time through the lens of a single, dramatic episode that will engage readers. This is skillfully done: humorous, jaw-dropping, thought-provoking, and chilling. (index) 2000, Scholastic, $18.95. Category: Nonfiction. Ages 9 to 14. Starred Review. © 2000 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Elizabeth Bush (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, January 2001 (Vol. 54, No. 5))
Murphy turns his attention from fire (The Great Fire, BCCB 5/95) to ice with this riveting account of the storm system that paralyzed much of the Eastern seaboard in March of 1888. In a masterful piece of storytelling, Murphy regales readers with tales of the fortitude and foolhardiness of citizens who matched wills with the blizzard. Ex-senator Conkling boasts of his stamina as he forces his way through the winds and drifts, only to succumb to weather-related complications within a month. A farm wife shelters stranded travelers but can only feed them a dinner of frozen sparrows plucked from the yard. A divinity student is trapped on a snowbound train, and a reporter spends seasick days tossed by the waves in a harbor pilot boat. This title goes well beyond gripping narrative, however, to demonstrate how the storm exposed the weakest seams in the nineteenth-century urban fabric--utility companies that ignored ordinances for buried cable; corrupt city politics that stalled efforts to introduce underground rail service; inadequate housing for masses of immigrants; a laissez-faire attitude toward snow removal and sanitation. If sepia-toned period photos and engravings of the buried cities and environs fail to set viewers’ teeth chattering, Murphy’s reminder of snowfalls (as recent as January 2000) that continue to cripple the coast will: “No matter how many pieces of equipment we develop, no matter how many ways we try to predict weather patterns, nature always has the potential to surprise and overwhelm us.” Review Code: R* -- Denotes books of special distinction. (c) Copyright 2001, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2000, Scholastic, 136p, $18.95. Grades 5-10.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2001)
In March of 1888, two massive weather systems converged on the northeastern United States, precipitating gale-force winds, heavy snows, and subzero weather. Drawing on extensive newspaper articles, histories of the period, and archived letters and journals, Murphy writes of the storm through the experiences of a number of people. Each provides him entry into background discussions covering the political and social conditions of that time. Ind. Category: Nonfiction-History. 2000, Scholastic, 136pp, $18.95. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 1: Outstanding, noteworthy in style, content, and/or illustration.

Julie Wilde (VOYA, June 2001 (Vol. 24, No. 2))
In March of 1888, an unexpected blizzard hit the northeastern United States and hovered for three days, crippling transportation and communication. Hurricane-force winds, heavy snowfall, and dropping temperatures left thousands trapped between work and home, and hundreds of trains were stopped by snow- and ice-blocked tracks. Telephone and telegraph lines went dead, food and coal became scarce, and in New York City, a three-block trip via horse-drawn transportation soon cost fifty dollars. The blizzard had long-reaching impact; within the years that followed, an underground wiring system was enforced in New York and construction of its subway system started. Cities began taking responsibility for snow removal. Murphy, author of The Great Fire (Scholastic, 1995/VOYA, August 1996, Nonfiction Honor List 1995), uses newspaper articles, books, and archived personal accounts to reconstruct a chronology of the blizzard. He presents a variety of individual stories to personalize the event. Each person's story is brief, so the people are not very memorable, yet these accounts bring drama to the story. Detail about the social and economic conditions of the time help the reader understand how such a storm affected both urban and rural families, and drawings and photographs illustrate the extent of the devastation. Fascination with weather is not new--a Society of Blizzard Men and Blizzard Ladies was created after the storm--and this first annual Sibert Award honor book will appeal to both teens and adults interested in weather extremes and history. Index. Illus. Photos. Maps. Source Notes. Further Reading. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2000, Scholastic, 136p, $18.95. Ages 11 to 18.