32. Magnitude

32. Magnitude. Jennifer A. Nielsen. 2026. 304 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, historical fiction, mg historical]

First sentence: The first time I felt an earthquake, I was nine years old.

Premise/plot: Magnitude is middle grade historical fiction set in San Francisco, 1906. Cora, Oliver, and Chi are unlikely friends brought together by circumstance. Cora and Oliver were once the closest of close friends until their parents quarreled. Cora and Chi were strangers when the story opens. But being at the same place when the earthquake hit brought them together--when the road collapsed they fell underground and were trapped together. Oliver 'rescues' them both. But that's not the end of their adventures.

My thoughts: I wanted to like this book. I did not like this book. Why didn't I like this book? I felt almost all the characters lacked common sense. I truly did. Granted middle grade novels are typically centered on kids being independent and not relying on adults even in adult situations. Parents are usually 'absent' from the plot or poorly drawn and flat. But in this one, the three friends make unwise decisions one hundred percent of the time. Run away from danger? Run towards parents? NO. Run towards danger? Run toward fires? Yes. Run toward exploding buildings? Yes. Accept the guidance of any and every adult they come across? NO. Do whatever they want despite being warned eight million times? YES. Adults are bad. Surely they are smarter than ANY and EVERY adult. Because they think they always know best, they do find themselves in trouble. And I'm not really blaming Chi--she was just dragged into this story. But because they are the heroes of the book, they have a tied up in a neat bow ending.

You might think you're getting a book about survival, a desperate search to find family, a tale of perseverance against all odds. What you are getting is a story about corruption and greed. Cora took out a loan from a shady, shady guy. When the loan is due, Cora still doesn't have the money. The earthquake happens. The bad shady guys are after her. It's a cat-and-mouse game. The earthquake is not important in the slightest. It's just a girl and her friends being chased by "bad guys" who want the money paid back from the loan. All the characters seem more focused on this loan and money situation than the dangers of the earthquake--the fires, the explosions, being hungry and thirsty, being separated from family, being vulnerable and all.

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews