“The Children’s Blizzard” by Melanie Benjamin is set during the massive upper Plains “Children’s Blizzard” of 1888, which killed 235 people. It got its name from the many schoolchildren who were either trapped in their one-room schoolhouses or perished on their way home. This novel focuses on two schools whose teachers make different decisions on that day. The two teachers are first generation Norwegian-Americans. Gerda, in Dakota Territory, dismisses her students to go home so she can be with her beau. Raina, in northern Nebraska, keeps her children at…
Historical novels bring the past to life
Iola Library has a bevy of historical novels to keep you entertained and informed.
