CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.
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The Vanishing of Lake Peigneur: A Graphic Novel Based on a True Story
CCBC Review:
This carefully executed graphic novel is a fast-paced depiction of the true story of a lake in rural Louisiana that turned into a gigantic whirlpool of disaster on November 20, 1980. Told from the vantage of the lake, precise panels, clear visuals, and careful notes outline events before, during, and after the tumultuous human-assisted natural disaster. The fact that there were no casualties is the likely reason this event is not better known, though the scale and impact make it hard to forget. Cinematic spy shots highlight some of the people who were on the lake that fateful day. An uncle and a nephew out fishing, a tugboat crew, an estate owner and landscape manager, three dogs, a salt mine mining crew, oil workers and oil company men are all subjects on the catastrophic timeline. Gripping sequences outline how a multi-layered underground salt mine and an underground oil well intersected in such a way that the mine flooded, sucking in the lake water (including tankers, barges, trees, and shoreline), and then belched it all back out. Unbelievable but true, this graphic novel, along with its satisfying Author’s Note, invites discussion about human actions and the environment. ©2026 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Jose Pimienta
CCBC Age Recommendation: 12 and older
Age Range:
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Graphic Novel
Subjects:
21st Century
Disasters
Environmental Challenges
History (Nonfiction)
Natural Disasters
Suspense
Diversity subject:
Multicultural General
On CCBC Booklist:
Eco-Reading: Selected Books for Children and Teens about Our Earth and the Environment
Publisher:
Candlewick
Publish Year: 2025
Pages: 173
ISBN: 9781536217438
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 741.5 Wolf
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Our Recommended Book Search includes access to CCBC-recommended titles based on subject headings created by our staff.
Please send questions or comments about CCBC booklists to ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu.