The Vanishing of Lake Peigneur: A Graphic Novel Based on a True Story

Ages 10 to 14, Grades 5 to 9

The strange, true tale of a Louisiana lake that vanished—taking with it every fish below and every boat and barge above—told in a gripping and accessible graphic format.

Home to catfish and crawdads, shrimp and spoonbills, even a gator or two, Lake Peigneur—pronounced “your pain,” only backward—bustles also with human life. Each day, the bean-shaped freshwater lake and its shores hum with folks going about their work: a devoted gardener’s apprentice and his dogs, fishermen, oilmen drilling at Well P-20, and the fifty-one miners employed by the Diamond Crystal Salt Mines. For most, November 20, 1980, began as “just another day on the lake.” But as the lake itself reflects, humans had, over time, left behind a honeycomb of salt highways deep beneath its surface, and water and salt mix all too well. Bracing, suspenseful, and packed with dramatic illustrations and dense end matter, this story of a catastrophic accident—narrated with the homespun voice of a “tall” tale, but true nonetheless—will amaze science and history buffs alike.

About the Author

Allan Wolf is the author of several picture books, poetry books, and young adult novels, including Junius Leak and the Vortex of Doom, The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep: Voices from the Donner Party, The Watch That Ends the Night: Voices from the Titanic, Who Killed Christopher Goodman?, and Zane’s Trace. Allan Wolf lives in Roanoke, Virginia.

Author Residence: Roanoke, VA

Jose Pimienta draws comics, storyboards, and sketches for visual development and is the creator of the graphic novels Twin Cities and Suncatcher, as well as the illustrator of Stars, Hide Your Fire by Kel McDonald and numerous other graphic novels. They live in Burbank, California.

Illustrator Residence:Glendale, CA