Maddy and the Monstrous Storm — Julie C. Gilbert

Thirteen-year-old Maddy Rollag finds it hard to adjust to life on her aunt and uncle’s farm in Dakota Territory. Her schoolmates think she’s spoiled, and Aunt Marta makes it clear that Maddy is not fit for farm life. Maddy desperately misses her father and life back home in St. Paul, Minnesota. But on January 12, 1888, everything changes. A blizzard traps Maddy and her classmates inside their schoolhouse. If they stay in the schoolhouse, they’ll freeze, but the risk of trying to escape and getting lost in the blizzard is equally dangerous. Will Maddy and her schoolmates survive? This Girls Survive story is supported by a glossary, discussion questions, and nonfiction material on the Schoolhouse Blizzard of 1888, making it a valuable resource for young readers.