FLOOD FRIDAY

Flood Friday, Lois Lenski, J B Lippincott Company, 1956, 94 pp

THE SUNDAY FAMILY READ

I am almost caught up on reading all the books from Lois Lenski's American Regional Series. Flood Friday is #12 out of 16. (Unfortunately the excellent link to a full Lois Lenski bibliography, which I have included in many of my earlier reviews, has gone to limited access. But I found another link here.) In my next post I will present a complete list of titles in the series.

Flood Friday is another one that stands out in my memory as a favorite; one that I read over and over. When I reread childhood favorites, I always try to figure out why I loved them so.

On Friday, August 19, 1955, after days of relentless rain, the three major rivers in Connecticut flooded, driving many people from their homes. Flood Friday is a fictional account of what this was like for several children in the area. There are dangerous rescues by boat and helicoptor, some houses are completely destroyed, and families are sheltered in school buildings.

Sally and her family are lucky. They still have a home when the water that almost reached their second floor finally recedes. But it is a house soaked and mud covered. While it is being cleaned up and repaired, they stay with neighbors who live on higher ground.

I think what I liked as a child was the sense of danger.  This is one of Lenski's most dramatic stories. Also, the idea of staying at a neighbor's house where one of your best friends lives, camping out on floors and sofas, and eating whatever food can be found, would have been my idea of a great adventure. I bet it was a complete pain in the neck for the adults.

(Flood Friday is out of print in hardcover, but may be found at libraries or from used book sellers. It has recently been released in paperback and eBook by Open Road Media.)