Author Description

Earthquake! describes the devastating earthquake and ensuing fire that destroyed much of San Francisco in 1906. Amid the destruction, fires, and fear, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake brings people together. Rich and poor, neighbors and strangers, all are united in helping one another to save their city. The Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 is the most damaging earthquake in American history. San Francisco and surrounding cities were violently shaken by seismic waves produced by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake. After the earthquake, subsequent fires destroyed almost the entire city of San Francisco. General Frederick Funston declared martial law, and finally got the fire under control by dynamiting blocks of buildings around the fire to create fire breaks. The 1906 earthquake also revealed the existence and significance of the San Andreas fault to earth scientists, who then gave birth to the science of earthquakes. Kate Wilson is a published author and an editor of several children’s books. Some of her published credits include: Earthquake!: San Francisco, 1906 (Stories of America), Foster Children: Where They Go And How They Get On (Supporting Parents) and Writer’s Handbook Guide to Writing for Children. Courtney Studio is a published author and an illustrator of several children’s books. Some of her published credits include: Earthquake!: San Francisco, 1906 (Stories of America), I Can Read About Earthquakes and Volcanoes (I Can Read About Series) and I Can Read About Weather (I Can Read About Series). Alex Haley, as General Editor, wrote the introduction.