I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906 begins with the titular event. On April 18, 1906, in San Francisco, California, things seem normal from the outside, as people go about their daily lives. The book’s protagonist, 11-year-old Leo, is in a broken-down building when the shaking starts. At first, he thinks it must be thunder, but he soon finds out that it’s something much more dangerous: an earthquake. “Powerful shocks explode[e] up through the underground layers of dirt and rock” (2) causing streets to rip in half, buildings to sway, and homes to crumble to the ground. Soon, Leo finds himself standing in shock as his home starts to cave in around him. He tries to scream and run, but he can’t. Brick after brick falls down on him as the debris begins to bury him alive.

The second chapter takes place twenty hours before the events in Chapter 1. Leo is a paperboy, which is someone who sells newspapers on the street (most often in cities). At only 7:00am, “Leo [has] sold almost all of his papers” (5). He smiles to himself, thinking his father would be proud, and pats his pocket, where he keeps a gold nugget with him at all times.