(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Rachel Wada. This innovative collection of musings on wind mixes poetic expression, cultural myths, and scientific facts to describe and explain wind phenomena. Major topics include the ways winds are formed in dynamic environments such as mountains, coasts, and deserts; human interactions with wind, from experiencing a breeze to harnessing wind power; global wind patterns; and the power of cyclones, tornadoes, and erosive processes. The wind itself emotes throughout the book, using expressive language to describe, for example, the aftermath of the hot winds (called Loo) of the Himalayas: "And I think to myself, if I had not burnt the land, you would not be so happy to see the flowers and birds return." Sections labeled "Wind Chronicles" are interspersed with the main text and relate folkloric origin stories and historical accounts of major wind events. Wada's mixed-media illustrations echo the emotions in the text, swirling color and linear elements to depict the flow of wind and the movement of objects in its wake. Back matter includes an index of key terms and suggestions for further reading.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) YA In this verse novel, eighth grader Quinn is dealing with a lot of tension and change: her parents are constantly fighting, her best friend is drifting away, and her own sense of self is shifting. Then a tornado hits her neighborhood; her day-to-day life is disrupted, and fissures in her closest relationships are cracked wide open. The story unfolds in three parts: "The Before," "During and Immediately After," and "The After." Throughout her honest first-person narration, Quinn takes refuge in writing and, with a sympathetic teacher's encouragement, slowly begins to see herself as a poet. School assignments introduce her to a variety of forms, such as acrostic, cinquain, diamante, and found poems. Eventually she shares her own evocative free verse: "I'm going to keep / write-thinking / on who / I mean / to be"; "Choose a path--and do what it takes / to walk it, even when it hurts." DuBois moves back and forth between adolescent angst in a conversational voice and insightful reflection full of metaphor and personification in this thought-provoking novel.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(2) 4-6 Orphan Gabe is impaled by a weathervane during a tornado. After regaining consciousness, Gabe gradually realizes he died in the accident, and his dog is the only one who sees him. Gabe ends up in the misty valley of Bone Hollow with a shapeshifting girl named Wynne, who trains Gabe to take her place helping dying people transition to the afterlife. Ventrella's vivid story takes an unsentimental look at loss.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(4) YA Just before graduation, Ellie's small Ohio hometown is decimated by tornadoes; Ellie's the only survivor of her close-knit friend group. Soon, Ellie realizes she can see and speak to the ghosts of her friends; she helps some move on, but others struggle. The heavy, pervasive grief makes for slow, sometimes tedious reading. An author's note reveals the intriguing, true-life inspiration for this supernatural tale.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(2) 4-6 When a tornado destroys twelve-year-old Ivy's rural Georgia home, her distress is compounded by the loss of her notebook full of drawings of herself holding hands with another girl. Then someone begins returning the drawings to her locker with notes. This sensitive portrayal of Ivy's first crush and internal conflict around coming out believably melds with concerns about her large family and her place in it.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2018

(3) 1-3 Hilde Cracks the Case series. Illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff. Nine-year-old "serious reporter" Hilde continues "hunting down the news" in her neighborhood. In these capers, Hilde reports on strange damage from a tornado and investigates a supposed UFO landing. Aspiring reporters will enjoy learning journalistic nuts and bolts from this affable kid-newshound. Pen-and-ink illustrations closely follow the texts, increasing accessibility. "Questions and Activities" are appended. Review covers these Hilde Cracks the Case titles: Tornado Hits and UFO Spotted.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) 4-6 Maddie's been waiting forever for her end-of-the-year sixth-grade dance. But the night doesn't go as planned: the boy she likes asks another girl to dance, and then Maddie's Massachusetts town is hit by a tornado. An eventful summer ensues for Maddie, with crushes, changing friendships, and more serious subjects of disaster and loss all handled sensitively and realistically.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(4) 4-6 Edge Books: Investigating Natural Disasters series. These volumes provide superficial coverage of the basic terminology associated with the underlying science of two types of natural disasters: earthquakes (plate tectonics) and tornadoes (thunderstorms). Major historical events, scientific tools, and practical safety tips are included, along with dramatic photographs and diagrams. Fact sidebars and captions offer additional related information. Common Core–related questions are appended. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Edge Books: Investigating Natural Disasters titles: Investigating Earthquakes and Investigating Tornadoes.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) K-3 X-Books: Weather series. These somewhat scattershot but browsable volumes combine history and meteorology with maps, statistics, and embellished photographs. Each book contains a countdown of the "Top Five Xtreme" examples of the weather phenomenon (or meteorological tool in Forecasting), with explanations of the science behind them. Cluttered layouts and occasional difficult-to-read spiral and vertical text detract from the information-packed presentations. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these X-Books: Weather titles: Clouds, Forecasting, Hurricanes, Snow, Thunderstorms, and Tornadoes.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark. New father Toto tells his puppies the Wizard of Oz story from his perspective. Familiar scenes from the classic tale remain, interspersed with Toto's amusing asides. Clark's double-page, single-page, and vignette illustrations bring the humor and wonder of Oz to life. The attractive volume should please both fans of the movie and Baum devotees.

Reviewer: Mariko Turk

(3) 4-6 A well-written text clearly explains the formation of tornadoes and scientists' efforts to predict their paths. Though the dark color photographs of tornadoes are ominous, Simon puts the likelihood of their occurrence in any given location into perspective. Other color illustrations include satellite images and weather maps. This updated edition adds more recent examples and images. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) 4-6 I Survived: True Stories series. Two of the deadliest tornadoes in American history are portrayed through the eyes of real survivors of each event--the 1925 Tri-State Tornado, which passed through Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana; and the 2011 Joplin Tornado in Missouri. Archival photographs, historical data, and scientific information are combined with real-life experience to enhance the immediacy and danger. Bib.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(4) K-3 Blazers: World's Worst Natural Disasters series. Each volume provides the dates, locations, intensity, and number of fatalities of eleven deadly natural disasters, backgrounded by full-spread photographs of the destruction. The result is more titillating than informative. Try Seymour Simon's books on the topic as alternatives--they may not be quite as current, but they are richer in content. Safety tips appended. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Blazers: World's Worst Natural Disasters titles: The World's Worst Earthquakes and The World's Worst Tornadoes.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(1) K-3 On May 4, 2007, a tornado leveled Greensburg, Kansas. The citizens who stayed decided to rebuild a community as environmentally sound as possible. Drummond creates a first-person narrator from a composite of experiences "meant to reflect [those] of many town residents." Concise informational sidebars explain the processes. Watercolor illustrations--a vibrant blend of vignettes, full-page art, and double-page spreads--reflect the town's can-do attitude.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2016

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Laura Jacques. In this "Emperor's New Clothes" adaptation with tornado facts forced in, weasel Travis the Tornado Tamer offers to protect an all-animal town by creating a magical cover that only the smart and special can see. After a tornado hits, the trickster moves on (as "an Earthquake Ender"). Slick illustrations include animals humorously wearing old-timey costumes. Tornado information and activities appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) K-3 Bel the Weather Girl series. Illustrated by Renée Kurilla. "Weather isn't so scary once you understand it," says Bel. In these books, she and her cousin, Dylan, experience various weather events, and Bel explains each occurrence to allay fears. Information is presented clearly, but the texts are stilted; additional facts appear in sidebars. The family dog and anthropomorphic weather elements in the cartoonlike illustrations add humor. An activity/experiment is appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Bel the Weather Girl titles: A Party for Clouds, A Snowstorm Shows Off, Raindrops on a Roller Coaster, Spinning Wind and Water, The Sky Stirs Up Trouble, and Weather Clues in the Sky.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(3) 4-6 Natural Disaster True Survival Stories series. In a series about real-life disaster survival, these volumes focus on weather-related events in the U.S. In each book, a brief introduction describes the disaster and four or five chapters detail real individuals' involvement. Gripping, you-are-there narratives are supplemented with primary source quotations (footnoted and sourced); photos and other graphics (maps, graphs, diagrams, etc.) provide additional insight. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Natural Disaster True Survival Stories titles: California Wildfires, Hurricane Katrina, and Joplin Tornado.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(3) K-3 This or That? Weather series. Full-page photos and clear scientific explanations illustrate the differences between similar weather phenomena. For example, a blizzard is distinguished from a winter storm by its high winds; although both are composed of water droplets, a cloud forms in the air and fog forms near the ground. A summary of similarities and differences and a practical hands-on experiment are provided at the end of each book. Glos. Review covers the following This or That? Weather titles: Cloud or Fog?, Tidal Wave or Tsunami?, Winter Storm or Blizzard?, Hail or Freezing Rain?, Hurricane or Waterspout?, and Tornado or Dust Devil?

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(3) K-3 Natural Disasters series. This series provides a clear, introductory description of each disaster, its causes, and its effect on communities. The books also include examples of historic disasters; basic details of how scientists predict, measure, and issue warnings (or in the case of Wildfire!, how firefighters control fires); and tips on staying safe. Stock photos, captions, and question-and-answer footers will help engage reluctant readers. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Natural Disasters titles: Blizzard!, Earthquake!, Flood!, Hurricane!, Tornado!, and Wildfire!

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(4) 4-6 Survive! series. Illustrated by Kirbi Fagan. Each formulaic standalone story finds children navigating seemingly impossible disaster situations: for example, twins Andy and Tony mistake the eye of a tornado for its aftermath and a dormant volcano erupts during Cam's family's Hawaiian vacation. Rapid pacing, vividly rendered scenes, and clever protagonists make for heart-stopping adventures. Serviceable black-and-white illustrations break up the short texts. Back matter includes related survival tips. Glos. Review covers the following Survive! titles: Blizzard, Lost, Tornado, and Volcano.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum