Hugo, his sister Gertie, their parents and their dog Panya are going to America on the Hindenburg. They had spent the previous year in Kenya. Hugo’s parents are scientists. They have loved it there, but Gertie got malaria. They have only the hope of new medicine in America to save her life. On the Hindenburg, Hugo and his family are introduced to the man in charge of the Hindenburg and his daughter. There are Nazi soldiers on board because they are looking for a spy. All of this is tense enough. When the actual event happens you get a small feel for what it was like inside the Hindenburg when it burst into flames and hit the ground. All of this took a little over thirty seconds. I was handed this book by one of my students and told I needed to read it over Spring Break. I am glad I did. I highly recommend it. ( )

There are 17 books in the I Survived series. Each book tells a fictionalized eye-witness account of a historical disaster or event. The books are for kids, so the protagonist of each book is a child, usually about 10-11 years old. This series is excellent! The stories are a mix of historical fact and fictionalized story, bringing the events alive for middle-grade age students. The books range from modern events like 9/11 to more ancient disasters like the destruction of Pompeii.

I Survived the Hingenburg Disaster, 1937 is the 13th book in the series. Hugo is 11 and travelling on the Hindenburg with his parents and little sister, Gertie. Hugo's mother is a little bit afraid to fly on an airship, but Hugo tells her it's the safest mode of travel with the fewest accidents. Little does he know that when they arrive in New Jersey on May 6th, 1937 that the ship is going to explode while landing. A family adventure turns into a dangerous, life threatening disaster. 35 people died in the disaster, and was the beginning of the end for airship travel.

This book is excellent and could easily be used in a classroom situation. It could be used to encourage kids to read, as supplemental reading for a history lesson or to read out loud to a class of students. Kids interested in history would love this series. The topics are varied and the event is related in realistic terms but not too graphic. Just enough detail....but not too much. The contents are age appropriate for middle-grade age children. As an adult, I enjoy this series as well. I like to read children's books in between heavier adult fiction to give my brain a bit of a break. I love history, so this series is perfect for me.

The cover art for this series is always colorful and eye-catching. The stories are interesting with lots of action. This series might be a good choice for kids who are reluctant readers.
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Only 3 stars because the Nazi general almost kills the boy and his dog. ( )

This is the first one of Tarshis's books where I actually learned new stuff! Good job. ( )

Before reading this book I did not really know anything about the Hindenburg. I had heard of it but that was all that I knew. I learned a lot from reading this fiction story about the disaster. I learned that it happened in 1937 around the time of WWII. In the book it talks about how terrible airplane travel is because of the noise and having to land every two hours to get more fuel. They talk about how dangerous airplane flights are compared to the safe Hindenburg. At this time in history, only the Graf Zepplin and the Hindenburg could fly across the ocean from Europe to America. It takes the Hindenburg only 4 days to fly from Frankfurt, Germany to Lakehurst, New Jersey. That is a distance of 4,389 miles. It turns out that thousands of people used these machines as transport. In fact, between 1928 and 1937 they made thousands of journeys. I had no idea that these flying machines were so popular. Unfortunately, this particular voyage ended in disaster as it crashed upon landing in America. No one really knows what happened and why it crashed. It's a mystery to this day. I like how this series takes an actual event in history and rewrites it as fiction from the viewpoint of a child to relate to a new generation. I think this is a great way for kids to learn about events in history. What better way for them to learn but through the eyes of a child. These stories are written as first hand accounts of events in history. I learned so much by reading this book that I did not know before. Kids will learn a lot from reading this book.