I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919

I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919 by Lauren Tarshis is a historical fiction novel published in 2022 as part of Tarshis’s bestselling I Survived series, which introduces young readers to pivotal moments in history through the eyes of fictional child protagonists. Tarshis, a longtime editor of Storyworks magazine and an author known for blending research-based accuracy with accessible storytelling, recounts the real-life tragedy of Boston’s 1919 molasses flood—a deadly industrial accident that killed 21 people and injured more than 100. Combining engaging narrative and factual detail, the novel immerses readers in the working-class Italian immigrant community of Boston’s North End while exploring the human cost of progress and the power of courage and community. Themes of industrial negligence, resilience, and recovery connect this installment to Tarshis’s broader educational mission to help readers learn history through empathy and moral reflection.

This guide references the eBook version of I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919, written by Lauren Tarshis and published by Scholastic Inc. in 2019.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of illness and death.

Plot Summary

Lauren Tarshis’s I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919, follows 12-year-old Carmen Grasso, an Italian immigrant living with her father in Boston’s North End. The novel dramatizes the real industrial disaster that occurred on January 15, 1919, when a massive storage tank owned by the United States Industrial Alcohol Company ruptured and released more than 2 million gallons of molasses into the streets. Through Carmen’s eyes, Tarshis presents both an individual story of loss and survival and a broader portrayal of community resilience, social injustice, and recovery.

The book opens with the catastrophe already underway. Carmen is caught in a torrent of syrup that sweeps through Boston’s streets. The molasses wave engulfs Carmen and her best friend, Tony, as they run for their lives. When their makeshift raft overturns, Carmen sinks beneath the surface.

Four months earlier, Carmen and Tony walk home from school through the bustling immigrant neighborhood. A newsboy shouts headlines about a “deadly flu,” introducing the backdrop of the Spanish influenza epidemic that reached Boston in September of 1918. Tony feels discouraged at school, convinced that their teacher, Mr. Lawrence, dislikes him. Carmen, who excels academically, reassures him, pointing out that Mr. Lawrence—a World War I veteran wounded in combat—tutors Tony during recess to help him succeed. Carmen looks forward to showing her father her perfect math test and feels proud that Mr. Lawrence has lent her The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900).

Four years earlier, an earthquake and subsequent tidal waves destroyed Carmen’s family’s coastal village in Italy, killing her mother. Carmen remembers clinging to her father’s back as he saved her from the flood. Seeking a new beginning, her father emigrated with her to the United States, while her grandmother, called Nonna in Italian, stayed behind. Carmen and her father settled into their new lives and found friendship with the neighboring Grasso family, including Tony and his siblings.

One afternoon, Carmen and Tony race to the enormous molasses tank that dominates their neighborhood. Many children enjoy tasting the sticky syrup leaking down its sides. Although Carmen dislikes the sweetness, she collects some for Rosie, the horse at her father’s workplace. Standing before the “hideous tank,” she feels uneasy. Tony cracks jokes and imitates their teacher, but Carmen wonders why the tank leaks so badly and remembers hearing her father’s employer, Mr. Vita, explain that it holds 2 million gallons of molasses—some for food production, but much for making bombs. As Tony reaches for more molasses, a strange gurgling noise comes from the tank.

The sound grows louder in the next chapter. The ground trembles, and Carmen fears an earthquake. A man appears, orders the children away, and insists the noises are normal. Carmen and Tony flee to the stable, laughing nervously. Tony jokes that perhaps a shark is trapped inside. Carmen hides her real thought—that someone might be stuck in the tank. When she calls for her father, Mrs. Grasso arrives instead, weeping. She tells Carmen that her father has fallen ill with the flu.

Carmen hurries home, where neighbors and Mrs. Grasso tend to her father. At first, she feels relieved, believing the flu to be mild, but his condition rapidly worsens. As she keeps vigil beside him, she remembers Nonna’s story of the earthquake and flood in Italy and how her father saved her life by urging her to “hold on.” Now, she repeats those same words to him, holding his hand even after he dies.

Four months later, in January 1919, Carmen lives with Tony’s family. Their crowded apartment is noisy but full of warmth, and Tony’s nightly readings from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz comfort her. Looking out the window, however, she cannot escape the sight of the molasses tank, which reminds her of the day her father died. Overhearing the Grassos discuss plans for a “ship” and a “voyage,” she realizes they intend to send her back to Italy. The next morning, she leaves early and rides Rosie toward the harbor, seeking solace. While she rides, she recalls her father’s faith in America. She feels anger and guilt, convinced the Grassos cannot afford to care for her.

Carmen falls asleep under a tree and awakens hours later to find Rosie missing. She tracks the horse to the molasses tank, where Rosie is licking syrup from the side. As Carmen wipes the horse’s muzzle, the gurgling begins again. She ignores it, remembering the man’s assurances that it was normal. Moments later, Tony calls her name, and she rides toward him. Before she can explain her fears about being sent away, the ground shakes violently. The tank’s bolts shoot loose, and the structure bursts apart. A 20-foot wall of molasses crashes through the streets, destroying everything in its path.

Carmen and Tony try to escape, but the wave overtakes them. Clinging to debris, she recalls the tidal wave that once swept her father and her out to sea. Remembering his words—“Hold on”—she dives repeatedly, pushing off the ground each time until she reaches the surface and grabs a floating crate, and is eventually rescued.

Carmen awakens three days later in the hospital. A nurse explains her injuries and the devastation of the waterfront. Soon, the Grassos arrive, tearful and relieved. She receives visits from Mr. Lawrence and Mr. Vita, who tell her that the community is beginning to recover. When Mr. Pallo, the groom at the stables, brings Rosie to her window, Carmen weeps at the sight of the horse, who also survived. Though she fears being sent back to Italy, she dreams of her father telling her once more to “hold on.” Realizing that his voice now urges her to hold on to life in America, she decides to stay with the Grassos and help support herself.

Back at the Grassos’ apartment, Mrs. Grasso hosts dinner. Carmen learns that the surprise visitor everyone had mentioned is Nonna, who has traveled from Italy with Mr. Vita to live with her. Nonna reassures Carmen that she will not be sent back. Surrounded by family, Carmen feels peace for the first time since the disaster.

In her Author’s Note and historical Addenda, Tarshis shifts from fiction to nonfiction, explaining that the flood was a real event caused by corporate negligence and that it led to new safety regulations. She shares facts about World War I, the Spanish flu, and her own immigrant ancestors, connecting Carmen’s fictional resilience to real human courage.