Buried Alive!: How 33 Miners Survived 69 Days Deep Under the Chilean Desert

by Elaine Scott (Author)

Buried Alive!: How 33 Miners Survived 69 Days Deep Under the Chilean Desert
Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade

In August 2010, thirty-three miners were buried alive, two thousand feet below the surface of the earth. After seventeen tense days, just as hope was nearly gone, rescuers made contact with the men. Joy broke out around the world--all thirty-three men were alive! But it would be long weeks before they emerged from the mine.
What did the miners feel, trapped in the steamy darkness so far underground? What did they eat? How did they get along? And most important, how did they survive in those seventeen days when death lingered so near, and after, during the long wait for rescue?

This amazing true story about problem-solving, community, and real-life heroes is made kid-friendly by veteran nonfiction writer Elaine Scott. It will inspire for years to come.

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$18.99

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8--On August 5, 2010, a massive collapse at the San Jose mine in the Chilean desert left 33 miners trapped more than 2000 feet below the Earth's surface. Scott alternately tells the stories of the miners, their families anxiously waiting in the camp above, and the rescuers drilling through some of the hardest rock in the world to try to reach them. Frequent color photos, maps, and diagrams, in addition to plentiful white space, make the book visually appealing and increase browser interest. An author's note explains how Scott conducted her research. A short list of sources is included, but individual quotes contained in the text are not sourced. In the afterword, readers get an update on the miners' lives since the rescue and learn that the story doesn't necessarily end "happily ever after" for all of them. This title is for a slightly younger audience than Marc Aronson's Trapped: How the World Rescued 33 Miners from 2,000 Feet Below the Chilean Desert (S & S, 2011). It contains less background information on mining, metals, and the drilling process, but has more visual support and a greater focus on the personal stories of the miners and their families.--Jackie Partch, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"An engaging, suspensful look at a tragedy averted that also provides a glimpse of a challenging way of life."—Kirkus Reviews"This dramatic account is a rock-solid case study in the power of a collaborative frame of mind."—Booklist"This well-organized treatment hits just the right tone for middle-grade readers."—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Elaine Scott
Elaine Scott is the author of many nonfiction books for children, including the popular When Is a Planet Not a Planet? The Story of Pluto. Elaine lives in Houston, Texas. Visit her at www.elainescott.com.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9780547707785
Lexile Measure
1060
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Clarion Books
Publication date
April 17, 2012
Series
-
BISAC categories
JNF037060 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Earth Sciences - Rocks & Minerals
JNF051130 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Technology | Machinery & Tools
JNF044000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Social Science | Psychology
JNF011000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Careers
JNF016000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Curiosities & Wonders
JNF019060 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Family | Parents
JNF002000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Adventure & Adventurers
JNF038050 - Juvenile Nonfiction | People & Places | Caribbean & Latin America
JNF025060 - Juvenile Nonfiction | History | Central & South America
JNF051160 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Disasters
JNF024010 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Health & Daily Living | Diet & Nutrition
JNF019030 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Family | Multigenerational
JNF009000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Boys & Men
JNF019070 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Family | Siblings
JNF025250 - Juvenile Nonfiction | History | United States/21st Century
JNF053160 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Social Topics | Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
JNF024120 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Health & Daily Living | Daily Activities
JNF024080 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Health & Daily Living | Safety
Library of Congress categories
Accidents
Gold mines and mining
Chile
Copper mines and mining
Mine rescue work
San Josae Mine Accident, Chile, 2010
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award
Nominee 2014 - 2014

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