Underground Fire

August 15, 2022
A poignant account of the 1909 Cherry, Illinois, coal mine disaster, one of the worst in U.S. history. Walker cites Karen Tintori's 2002 adult nonfiction title, Trapped: The 1909 Cherry Mine Disaster, as a major source of inspiration, but in recounting the tragedy's course for young readers, she piles on names and numbers without capturing that book's dramatic storytelling or its sharp sense of outrage at the unsafe practices and conditions that led to 259 deaths. She also seldom connects her narrative to the many affecting period photos she has gathered, nor even mentions who took them, so although they are labeled, the portraits of victims and their families, along with scenes of the town of Cherry and of anxious crowds clustered around the mine's entrance waiting for news, seem oddly disconnected from the actual people and events. She does offer meticulously detailed descriptions of how coal was mined at that time, how the accidental fire started and spread, how the trapped miners struggled, and the protracted, often disorganized rescue efforts. She also develops significant overall themes--that there was much national and ethnic, if not racial, diversity in the devastated community (most of the dead were European immigrants; only 11 were U.S.-born) and that both during and after the tragedy there was a great outpouring of volunteer and charitable assistance. Numbers and pictures tell a tragic tale even if the writing never quite catches fire. (author's note, source notes, bibliography, image credits, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

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October 17, 2022
Inspired by Karen Tintori’s adult nonfiction novel Trapped: The 1909 Cherry Mine Disaster, as detailed in an end note, this keen account from Walker (Deadly Aim) chronicles the 1909 Cherry, Ill., coal mine incident via straightforward text. On Nov. 13, 1909, 480 men began their day shift at Cherry Mine, which opened in 1905. “Everything about the new mine sounded good to men seeking work,” including the purportedly fireproof brick buildings, electric light bulbs, and guaranteed year-round employment for 700 miners, a previously unheard of statistic. But after a fire breaks out and the only escape ladder is destroyed following an attempt to douse the flames, the miners are trapped underground, resulting in 259 deaths before anyone can be rescued. Using clear and concise language, Walker lays out the mine’s structure, the workers’ day-to-day duties, and how the fire spread. A heavy focus on Cherry’s citizens—who were largely European immigrants—adeptly foregrounds the tragedy’s victims as well as the people who came together to uplift the devastated community. B&w photographs featured throughout add depth to this critical, accessible telling of one of the worst coal mine disasters in U.S. history. Ages 10–14.

September 1, 2022
Cherry, a town in north-central Illinois, had seemingly sprung up overnight once several veins of coal were discovered; most residents were recent immigrants. Walker opens her solid account by providing background about mining, immigration, and coal before getting to the events of November 13, 1909, when the Cherry Mine fire started after kerosene from a torch began dripping onto bales of hay. While many miners escaped, a good number remained trapped, waiting to be rescued. The narrative splits at this point, alternating between the miners' harrowing efforts to survive and the people waiting impatiently aboveground for news. Rescue efforts were complicated by the mine conditions: the temperature remained too hot, the air too poisonous, and embers smoldered, waiting to rekindle at any moment. Miraculously, a small group of men was rescued a week later, but the mine was then shut down for several months before the bodies of the dead could be recovered. While Walker draws attention to the corporate greed that led to unfair working conditions, including child labor, readers may also recognize some contemporary parallels to this story, including the rescue of thirty-three Chilean miners in 2010 (see Scott's Buried Alive!, rev. 7/12) and twelve Thai boys and their soccer coach in 2018 (see Soontornvat's All Thirteen, rev. 9/20). An assortment of maps, diagrams, and photographs accompanies the main text, while source notes, bibliography, and an index are appended. Jonathan Hunt

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from November 1, 2022

Gr 5 Up-When the miners and managers of the coal mine in Cherry, IL, blatantly underestimate the danger of a small underground fire, a horrific eight-day chain of events occurs that results in death of 259 men and boys. The stage is set on the morning of November 13, 1909, as the coal miners and their families begin a typical workday. First-person accounts set the scene as Walker, who lives near the disaster site, recounts the details, alternating between the belowground mismanagement and the resulting aboveground reactions. Technical descriptions of the mining process, explanations of the social construct of the time period, accounts of economic hardships faced by the workers, and references to cultural diversity add compelling historic reference points. An uncanny comparison between the farewell notes written to family members by trapped miners and contemporary "I love you" cellphone messages made by people facing life-threatening situations connects the past to the present. The book concludes with information about the disaster's survivors, historical remembrances, updates on mine safety legislation, and the reopening and subsequent closing of the Cherry Mine. The narrative is enriched with numerous photographs, maps, diagrams, and primary source documents. Back matter includes an author's note, image credits, bibliography, and a detailed index. VERDICT This examination of a man-made disaster works well as a historical recount, harrowing survival story, and social commentary. A very strong addition to nonfiction collections.-Lynne Stover

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2022
Cherry, a town in north-central Illinois, had seemingly sprung up overnight once several veins of coal were discovered; most residents were recent immigrants. Walker opens her solid account by providing background about mining, immigration, and coal before getting to the events of November 13, 1909, when the Cherry Mine fire started after kerosene from a torch began dripping onto bales of hay. While many miners escaped, a good number remained trapped, waiting to be rescued. The narrative splits at this point, alternating between the miners' harrowing efforts to survive and the people waiting impatiently aboveground for news. Rescue efforts were complicated by the mine conditions: the temperature remained too hot, the air too poisonous, and embers smoldered, waiting to rekindle at any moment. Miraculously, a small group of men was rescued a week later, but the mine was then shut down for several months before the bodies of the dead could be recovered. While Walker draws attention to the corporate greed that led to unfair working conditions, including child labor, readers may also recognize some contemporary parallels to this story, including the rescue of thirty-three Chilean miners in 2010 (see Scott's Buried Alive!, rev. 7/12) and twelve Thai boys and their soccer coach in 2018 (see Soontornvat's All Thirteen, rev. 9/20). An assortment of maps, diagrams, and photographs accompanies the main text, while source notes, bibliography, and an index are appended.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)