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2015 Nominee
Voted 4 out of 20

All Fall Down: The Landslide Diary of Abby Roberts

Written by Jean Little.
Published in 2014 by Scholastic.

A young girl survives the deadliest natural disaster in Canadian history — but a family secret could call into question everything she thought she knew about her life before the tragedy.

After her father dies, Abby and her family move west to live with relatives who run a hotel in the mining town of Frank, Alberta. Abby keeps busy helping out at the hotel, being chief caregiver to her little brother with Down Syndrome, and learning Morse code at the telegraph office.

When the devastating Frank Slide buries much of the town, Abby must do all she can to help. But a long-buried family secret emerged just before the disaster — and now she will have to wait for the dust to settle before getting the answers she so desperately wants.

Inspired by two of her own relatives, one who helped run a telegraph office in the late 1800s and another who shares Abby’s story (and her family secret), Jean Little crafts a compelling story rich with emotion and historical detail.

 

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5 thoughts on “All Fall Down: The Landslide Diary of Abby Roberts

  1. ST George

    I loved this book, it was great to read about something that happened in Alberta. The author did a great job making this book interesting.

  2. agnes davidson

    it was a really good book I liked how it was about Frank Slide but it made it intresting for the readers. it was a sad book I cried in some parts. it was a really good book. I recomend it

  3. Chauvin Mun. Library

    I’ve read other books about the Frank Slide, but reading it from this “diary” made it seem even more fascinating to me.

  4. Hillhurst

    This book is based on the Frank slide. The main character is Abby Roberts, who got adopted by a different family. There, Abby meets a First Nation friend, named Bird. Bird stated in the book that her grandfather can “foresee” things that are going to happen. In this case, her grandfather “saw” the Frank slide happening. Eventually, the Frank slide occurs. Then, all the action happens. Many people die, but the whole arrangement is very exciting.
    I think that the author did a great job on getting the facts across to the reader. Even though this book was sort of like a fiction book with false characters, Jean Little still was able to show you what had happened during that time while blending the fiction and non-fiction “things” together. So, this book is great for anyone that loves history or exciting “adventures”.
    Also, there is a small section at the very back of the book that explains everything from a historian’s point of view. That way, you get more facts with a clear explanation of statistics/numbers.
    So, for everyone that is participating in RMBA, I recommend this to everyone of you. This book will help you understand a lot more about (Alberta’s) history and it is great fun. Thank you for reading!

    Angela

  5. Hillhurst

    For this RMBA I chose All Fall Down. The main character is a girl named Abby Roberts. She is adopted but her adopted family treats her like she is really part of their family. Abby meets a friend named Nellie(Bird) when her family travels to Frank. Bird’s grandfather can foresee the future and he predicted the Frank Slide. Soon, the Frank slide happens. Abby heard a rumour that her adopted parents never told her. She gets curious and eventually finds out. Abby was one of the few to survive in the deadly Frank Slide.
    This is a great book and Jean Little did an awesome job of blending the non-fiction things and the fiction things together. On the last few pages of the book, there are some pictures and an explanation of the Frank Slide.
    I recommend this book to all of you.


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