Winner of a ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults 2011 List School Library Journal Best Books of 2010
By Jame Richard
Sixteen-year-old Celestia spends every summer with her family at the elite resort at Lake Conemaugh, a shimmering Allegheny Mountain reservoir held in place by an earthen dam. Tired of the society crowd, Celestia prefers to swim and fish with Peter, the hotel’s hired boy. It’s a friendship she must keep secret, and when companionship turns to romance, it’s a love that could get Celestia disowned. These affairs of the heart become all the more wrenching on a single, tragic day in May, 1889. After days of heavy rain, the dam fails, unleashing 20 million tons of water onto Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in the valley below. The town where Peter lives with his father. The town where Celestia has just arrived to join him. This searing novel in poems explores a cross-class romance—and a tragic event in U.S. history. Your task is very simple: You are to follow the links below to get a better understanding of the Johnstown Flood of 1889. Many of the websites that you will be visiting hold a vast amount of information about the flood and the time period. However, because we are pressed for time, it will be up to you to decide how much time you are to spend on each site. You are welcome to visit this site again from home if you would like to learn more. However, use your time wisely to complete this project during your assigned lab time before you go off course exploring.
Here are some things to remember while answering your questions:
- Read each webpage carefully.
- Answer your questions carefully and accurately.
- Use complete sentences.
- Take your time and be neat.
Okay, let's get started!
First let's make sure you understand what you need to do. The links below are for you to explore. It is important that you read carefully. You aren't only reading for the answers, but to get a better understanding about life during the time period of your novel.
So get your pencil, paper, and reading eyes ready for the quest! If you get lost, just click on the back button of the browser or ask Mrs. Feniello for help.
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