Monday, October 26, 2015

Nonfiction Monday: Disaster Zone: Hurricanes by Cari Meister

This is another new series from Jump's Pogo imprint, nonfiction titles that are leveled for early readers.

It was kind of a weird reading experience for me because I had just read Don Brown's Drowned City and so it was surreal reading this rather bland discussion of hurricanes after the powerful emotional punch of Brown's work for a much older audience.

This book briefly reviews what a hurricane is, explains how it forms, and then talks about some of the devastation they cause and some famous hurricanes, including Hurricane Katrina.

Back matter includes a section on being prepared for hurricanes and the reassurance that hurricanes are rarely a surprise and if you are prepared you'll be fine. There is a science activity creating a hurricane in a bottle, an index, glossary, and link to the publisher's website for more resources. Other titles in the series include Blizzards, Droughts, Earthquakes, Landslides, Tornadoes, Tsunamis, and Volcanoes.

Verdict: This is a serviceable, if not particularly memorable, addition to disaster series for younger readers. There are plenty of disaster series out there, even for younger readers, and if you're updating your collection this would be a choice to look at it but it's not a must-have for a public library. School libraries may be more interested due to the leveled text.

ISBN: 978162012216; Published July 2015 by Pogo/Jump; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to the library

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