''The Great Saint Patrick's Day Flood'' is a short historical novel for children by the American writer Mildred S. Flaherty based on events of the

Pittsburgh Flood of 1936 On March 17 and 18, 1936, the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, witnessed the worst flood in its history when flood levels peaked at . This flood became known as The Great St. Patrick’s Day flood, and also affected other areas of the Mid-Atla ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Set in March, the Allegheny, Monongahela, and

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

s are rising. Eleven-year-old Billy Flynn and his seven-year-old brother Tommy are happy when school is cancelled. The boys' excitement soon turns to fear and awe as the rivers overflow their banks and people are forced to flee from their homes and work. Soon they experience life as they have never known it, discovering real courage and honor along the way.

References

2004 American novels 2004 children's books American children's novels Children's historical novels Novels set in Pittsburgh Fiction set in 1936 Novels about floods Novels set in the 1930s Children's books set in Pittsburgh Children's books set in the 1930s Children's books about floods {{2000s-child-hist-novel-stub