Newbery Honor Book, 1996. The great Chicago fire of 1871 left 100,000 people homeless. One of the most colossal disasters in American history, the damage it caused was so profound that few believed the city could ever rise again – but the human spirit can triumph even over deepest despair. "Mali conveys the terror, rage, and hope reborn experienced by the stunned Chicagoans... will burn in memory long after the recording ends."—AudioFile