Central Kansas Library System

Oscar Starling never wanted to come to Chicago. But then Oscar finds himself not just in the heart of the big city but in the middle of a terrible fire! No one knows exactly how it began, but one thing is clear: Chicago is like a giant powder keg about to explode. An army of firemen is trying to help, but this fire is a ferocious beast that wants to devour everything in its path, including Oscar! Will Oscar survive one of the most famous and devastating...

"Meg and Sylvie Townsend manage the family bookshop and care for their father, Stephen, a veteran still suffering in mind and spirit from his time as a POW during the Civil War. But when the Great Fire sweeps through Chicago's business district, they lose much more than just their store.The sisters become separated from their father, and after Meg burns her hands in an attempt to save a family heirloom, they make a harrowing escape from the flames...

A twelve-year-old street urchin and the son of Chicago's most important jeweler strike up an unlikely friendship in the days before the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, and both are nearly trapped when the city goes up in flames.

"Robbed on the train platform as soon as he arrives in the city, eleven-year-old Oscar Starling soon finds himself in the middle of the Great Chicago Fire when he chases after his thief, who is herself in need of rescue." --

"Cinders is a dappled gray Percheron mare with a bad reputation. When she arrives at the firehouse, she fights going into the stall. But with the help of a kind man, his animal-loving daughter, and a smart Dalmatian named Sparky, Cinders discovers she is meant to be a firehouse horse. Will she learn to brave the flames in time to stand up to the fiercest, most frightening fire the city has ever faced?"--

"Between October 8-10, 1871, much of the city of Chicago was destroyed by one of the most legendary urban fires in history. Incorporated as a city in 1837, Chicago had grown at a breathtaking pace in barely three decades, from just over 4,000 in 1840 to greater than 330,000 at the time of the fire. Built hastily, the city was largely made of wood. Once it began in the barn of Catherine and Patrick O'Leary, the fire quickly grew out of control, twice...

An account of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, discussing the city before the destructive blaze, and providing details of the investigation into the cause of the fire, the myth of Mrs. O'Leary's cow, and the effects of the disaster on the city and its residents.

"In the fall of 1871, Chicagoans knew they were due for the "big one" -- a massive, uncontrollable fire that would decimate the city. It had been bone-dry for months, and a recent string of blazes had nearly outstripped the fire department's already scant resources. Then, on October 8, a minor fire broke out in the barn of Irishwoman Kate Leary. A series of unfortunate mishaps and misunderstandings along with insufficient preparation and a high southwesterly...

"After witnessing the 1871 Chicago fire & jailed in 1917 for picketing for women's rights, Jessica is returning to Kansas, unaware of a revengeful man following-- intent on murdering her and her family"--Page 4 of cover.