The theme of survival has perennial appeal for young fans of adventure stories, a theme that a pair of publishers is currently mining through historical and contemporary series. The destruction of Pompeii, the sinking of the Titanic, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks are three of the catastrophic events covered in Lauren Tarshis’s I Survived novels from Scholastic, showcasing young people’s resilience and strength in the face of unimaginable disasters.
Launched in 2010, the series interlaces history and fiction, and has ignited the interest of booksellers, educators, librarians, parents, and kids: there are more than 23 million copies in print of the book and digital editions of I Survived titles in the U.S. alone. And that number will likely grow after the 15th installment, I Survived the American Revolution, 1776, pubs on August 29 with a 685,000-copy first print run across all Scholastic channels.
