I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964

Jackson Barrett is an 11-year-old boy who lives in Alaska with his family. One day, Jackson is in Valdez, a little seaside town, when a huge earthquake begins. Everyone is shocked as cars, trees, and telephone poles begin shaking. The forceful earthquake throws a terrified Jackson around, and as the ground breaks apart, he falls into a great crevasse.

Three weeks before the earthquake, Jackson is ice fishing with his parents with little luck. Jackson’s parents reminisce about how they had so much to learn when they first moved to the Alaskan wilderness as a young couple. Though they made many survival mistakes, they kept learning and eventually gained the skills they needed. After a couple of years of living in their small cabin in the forest, they had Jackson.

Going home empty-handed, the family decides to make moose meat chili for dinner. They have to carefully ration their food since they cannot easily go to the store because of their remote location. Even though off-grid life has its challenges, Jackson loves it. The family walks home but suddenly stops when they reach their cabin and notice that a grizzly bear is nearby.