The Children's Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin

Two teen sisters leave home to venture into the remote prairie of Nebraska to teach. They go to different parts of the territory and board with local families while teaching the local children in a remote one room schoolhouse. Both Raina and Gerda witness a legendary blizzard that strikes without warning but they deal with the crisis in very different ways. This one decision will alter their lives forever. Melanie Benjamin shares with us the hurtles and horrors of settling the Great Plains wilderness in the late 1800's. Grasshoppers, drought, freezing temperatures and any number of crop diseases could wipe out a homesteader's dream of a better life for his family after leaving Europe. The promise of low cost open farming land was a lure for those who had nothing and getting great numbers of people to settle in the west was instrumental in making sure the railroads were successful. This is an incredible story of survival and the immigrant experience in this country. It is also a testament to the fragility and strength of the human spirit. Little House on the Prairie meets a Stephen King nature horror show would best describe this work of historical fiction.  5 stars