When a fierce blizzard suddenly kicks up on a mild winter day, a young
Nebraska girl must find the courage and strength to lead others to
safety in this novel inspired by the true story of the 1888 School
Children's Blizzard.
Twelve-year-old Anna loves life on the Nebraska prairie where she lives
with her parents and four-year-old brother in a simple sod house. She
doesn't mind helping out with chores, especially when she is herding
sheep with her beloved pony, Top Hat. On the open prairie, Anna feels at
home.
But at school she feels hopelessly out of place. Arithmetic is too hard,
her penmanship is abysmal, and stuck-up Eloise Baxter always laughs at
her mistakes.
When a unexpected blizzard traps Anna, her schoolmates, and their young
teacher in the one-room schoolhouse, Anna knows they must escape before
it is too late. Does she have the courage and strength to lead her class
through the whiteout to safety?
Alison Hart offers young readers a dramatic story of rescue and survival
featuring a plucky, determined protagonist. An author's note provides
more information about prairie life in the late nineteenth century and
about the School Children's Blizzard.