Zane and the Hurricane Book Review

Zane and the Hurricane by Rodman Philbrick

Zane lives in New Hampshire with his mom. His father passed away. Zane knows nothing about his father's past in Louisiana, so his mother thinks it will be great for Zane to visit his great-grandmother, Miss Trissy, who turns out to be the person that raised his father.

While visiting Louisiana, Zane experiences first-hand the worst hurricane in U.S. history. Zane and Miss Trissy evacuate with the rest of New Orleans, but Zane gets separated from his group when his dog, Bandy, jumps out of the van window and Zane follows him down the highway and back into New Orleans, straight back to Miss Trissy's house.

Zane and Bandy brave Hurricane Katrina all alone in Miss Trissy's house. Flood waters rise and force them into the attic where they are stranded with no food or clean water until a boat carrying Mr. Trudy and Malvina rescues them.

They are not safe yet, and the journey continues as Zane travels through the flooded streets of New Orleans and learns about the after-effects of a massive hurricane, including death, greed, and lawlessness.

Zane and the Hurricane is one of the first children's books that I have read that so precisely describes the terrible events of Hurricane Katrina. The imagery is so vivid, and the story is heartbreaking, but it is also a story of perseverance, friendship, and loyalty.

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