This is the story of the explosion that occurred in Halifax Harbor, Nova Scotia in 1917 when two ships refused to yield the right of way. One ship was carrying several thousand tons of explosives. The collision created a spark that ignited a fire that blew up the ship sending a shockwave that demolished an entire area of the city. 15-year-old Will Schneider observed the collision. In his mind he knew which ship was at fault and consequently would be called to testify later. His immediate concern was for his sister and mother. Although his home was not affected by the blast, his sister had gone to the northern neighborhood that was hit hardest. His mom was missing for days, but finally surfaced in a makeshift hospital disoriented and nearly blind. Two families work together to get back on their feet, as Will, hated for his German heritage, goes against public ridicule and stands for the truth.

I enjoyed the historical parts of this story, however I didn't feel like the historical component of the story was center stage or developed well. The explosion didn't even occur until 1/4 of the way into the book. The first 1/4 of the book was all about creating the backstory and it ended up overshadowing the disaster. The Schneider family is at the forefront. Their German father has gone missing and is believed dead in a sailing accident. Livy is a brat who mistreats everyone, including the housekeeper who she lets take the blame for a vase she broke. The book is mainly a story of this family and the effect the explosion had on them. There is no detail of the panic, mayhem or devastation that probably occurred. Neither was there a detailed account of what really happened in the collision except in the afterword. All in all, I felt shortchanged. ( )