My kids have been talking about the I Survived series ever since they discovered a book on Gettysburg among the offerings of a reading app on their school tablets in second grade. Since then I've heard them mention many titles in the series by name, and I've been impressed by the sheer variety of tragedies and perilous events that the series has addressed.

With that in mind, I didn't hesitate to pick up a copy of I Survived the Children's Blizzard, 1888 when I saw it in passing; I double-checked with the twins, made sure they hadn't already read it, and slipped it into my cart.

Instead of having them read it on their own, like they did with the app stories, I read this one to them over the course of three evenings. It's not a long book, and the print is large, and it was perfect for quick bedtime reading.

They were, of course, absorbed by the story, as they have been by everything else that they've read in this series. And, while the reading level was not at a level I personally enjoyed, I loved their curiosity, and I found myself wondering what would happen next in the story. It's not an event I was familiar with, so I didn't know what to expect -- although the outcome was fairly certain, given the "I Survived" right there in the title.

Of course, that makes it more palatable for a young audience. It's one thing to bring them face to face with dramatic and sometimes fatal events in history, but they are perhaps too young to see beloved characters die in the pages in front of them. They (and their parents) can take some comfort in knowing the protagonists, at least, will make it through OK.

Lauren Tarshis authors the series, and based on this one, I'd say she's doing a good job. Certainly I can thank her for helping to foster my children's interest in history! These books are, by the way, historical fiction; although the basics of the stories are rooted in history, the young characters she describes are fictional additions to the tale.

My kids have mentioned several other books in the series that they have read, including stories focused on disasters as diverse as the Titanic, the Joplin tornado, Pompeii, the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hurricane Katrina, the Battle of Gettysburg and the Great Molasses Flood of 1919.

Next, I'm getting them a graphic novel adaptation about the New Jersey shark attacks of 1916 that inspired Jaws.