Who Wrote I Survived The Black Death 1348 And Why?

2025-10-28 05:19:12 264

8 Answers

Jade
Jade
2025-10-29 01:48:48
I still find myself recommending 'I Survived the Black Death, 1348' when friends ask for historical reads for kids — Lauren Tarshis wrote it, and she consciously blends fiction and history to make the past feel immediate. She’s writing to reach young readers who might shy away from thick history texts, giving them characters to root for while layering in researched context.

What I enjoy about her approach is the ethical care: she doesn’t sensationalize suffering for thrills; instead, she emphasizes choices, courage, and community responses during crisis. That makes the book useful beyond entertainment — it sparks conversations about how people cope, how societies change, and what we can learn from the past. It’s stayed with me as a compassionate, compelling way to introduce really big historical events to younger minds, and I still appreciate that balance.
Zane
Zane
2025-10-29 16:50:30
There’s something quietly effective about 'I Survived the Black Death, 1348' and it starts with the fact that Lauren Tarshis wrote it. Her goals read clearly on the page: bring a huge, scary historical event down to a level kids can understand, and make them care about the people living through it. She writes from a place of wanting to educate through story—so instead of a history lecture you get the heartbeat of an ordinary child trying to survive extraordinary times.

Tarshis also wants to inspire resilience and curiosity. By focusing on individual experience, she invites empathy and prompts young readers to learn more about the real Black Death—what caused it, how societies reacted, and what changed afterward. For me, that blend of compassion, clarity, and narrative drive is what makes the book worth reading; it’s historical fiction that actually teaches you something and leaves you thinking for days.
Gemma
Gemma
2025-10-29 23:53:49
I love how a single-sentence title can pull you straight into a grim slice of history; 'I Survived the Black Death, 1348' was written by Lauren Tarshis. She’s the author behind the whole 'I Survived' series, which takes real disasters and drops a fictional kid into the middle of them so young readers can see what it felt like, emotionally and practically, to live through those moments.

Her intent wasn’t to write a dry history book. From what I’ve seen, she wanted to make history visceral and accessible: to teach facts through feeling, to spark empathy for people from the past, and to give middle-grade readers a gripping narrative that also sneaks in learning. The books are short, punchy, and full of action because they’re tailored to kids who might be reluctant readers.

Beyond entertainment, she seems motivated by a kind of responsibility — to introduce hard topics like pandemics and disasters honestly but sensitively, and to show resilience. For me, reading that one as a teen opened up a whole new way of seeing history as lived experience rather than a list of dates, which still sticks with me.
Selena
Selena
2025-10-30 14:40:38
I got hooked on this series when a friend shoved 'I Survived the Black Death, 1348' into my hands and said, "Read the chapter titles." Lauren Tarshis wrote it, and she writes in a style that feels urgent and immediate. The whole point is to humanize big historical catastrophes by following a relatable young protagonist through danger and moral choices.

She writes for kids who want an adventure but also for teachers and parents who want a gateway into discussing tough historical realities. Tarshis mixes researched details with invented characters so the setting remains true while the plot stays exciting. I appreciate how the book balances bleak subject matter with sparks of hope and survival tactics kids can understand — it encourages curiosity about history without overwhelming the reader, which is a neat trick in my book.
Graham
Graham
2025-10-31 14:58:17
Last spring I dug my copy of 'I Survived the Black Death, 1348' out of a box and re-read a few chapters with my niece. Lauren Tarshis wrote the book, and what struck me this time around was how deliberately she shapes the narrative for classroom use as much as bedtime reading. The plot centers on a young protagonist navigating chaos, and in the margins of that adventure Tarshis slips in historical details that are accurate but never clunky.

Her motivation, as I see it, is twofold: she wants to get kids emotionally invested in history and she wants to open up conversations about resilience and human behavior during crisis. Teachers like the books because they’re short chapters with clear hooks and discussion potential; parents like them because they present difficult topics gently. For me, the book works as both a story and a teaching tool, which makes it a keeper on my shelf.
Olivia
Olivia
2025-11-02 16:12:51
The way 'I Survived the Black Death, 1348' grabs you is exactly why I keep recommending it to younger readers: it's written by Lauren Tarshis, the creator of the whole 'I Survived' series. She builds these stories around a fictional child who witnesses a real historical disaster, and in this case she drops you into the chaos and fear of medieval Europe as plague rips through towns. Tarshis writes with that punchy, fast-moving style that keeps pages turning, but beneath the action she's clearly trying to teach empathy and give readers a human face to history.

Looking closer, the reason she wrote this book—and the series overall—feels twofold. On one hand, it's about making history accessible: instead of dry facts, she uses a personal, survival-focused narrative so kids can emotionally connect with the past. On the other hand, there's a practical aim: to create readable, engaging chapter books that teachers can use and that reluctant readers won’t put down. She balances gruesome reality with age-appropriate restraint, which is why the book works in classrooms and bedtime reading alike.

I also think there's a quieter motivation: showing resilience. In a story about catastrophe you get fear, loss, and also courage and hope, and Tarshis seems to want young readers to see that people in history endured awful things and still found ways to go on. For me, that mix of historical grounding and human warmth is what keeps me coming back to this book and the rest of the series.
Ian
Ian
2025-11-03 03:57:49
If you want the short, direct version: Lauren Tarshis wrote 'I Survived the Black Death, 1348.' She’s the mind behind the whole franchise that turns big, terrifying historical events into punchy survival tales for middle-grade readers. But I like thinking about why she chose the Black Death specifically. It’s a catastrophic event that shaped Europe, and turning it into a story is a way to help kids understand the stakes without drowning them in dates and names.

Tarshis’s technique is super deliberate: short chapters, a strong young protagonist, and scenes written to feel immediate. That keeps readers who might otherwise be intimidated by history glued to the page. She also seems to be motivated by the educational angle—teachers use these books to introduce historical context alongside emotional literacy. Beyond that, I think she wants to spark curiosity; after reading, kids often look up more about the real events, which is exactly the sort of bookish chain reaction an author dreams of. Personally, I appreciate how she balances respect for suffering with a focus on survival and human connection—it's hopeful without being dishonest, and that’s why I still hand this one to friends’ kids.
Daniel
Daniel
2025-11-03 05:59:54
I often recommend 'I Survived the Black Death, 1348' to younger cousins because Lauren Tarshis wrote it with that perfect middle-grade blend of fact and pulse-pounding fiction. She uses a fictional kid’s viewpoint to make the scale of the Black Death feel comprehensible and personal, which helps readers grasp why the pandemic mattered socially and culturally.

Tarshis aims to educate through empathy: the historical backdrop is carefully researched, but the emotional through-line — fear, resilience, small acts of courage — is what sticks. Reading it feels like being shown a doorway into history rather than being shoved through one, and I like that approach.
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