Friday, December 10, 2010

Battle of the Books Friday - Night of the Twisters by Ivy Ruckman


Book Summary from Goodreads (goodreads.com)
When a tornado watch is issued one Tuesday evening in June, twelve-year-old Dan Hatch and his best friend, Arthur, don't think much of it. After all, tornado warnings are a way of life during the summer in Grand Island, Nebraska. But soon enough, the wind begins to howl, and the lights and telephone stop working. Then the emergency siren starts to wail. Dan, his baby brother, and Arthur have only seconds to get to the basement before the monstrous twister is on top of them. Little do they know that even if they do survive the storm, their ordeal will have only just begun. . . .
This short book is a very fast paced read.  I was on the edge of my seat through almost the entire book because I wanted to know how it would all end. I had to force myself to slow down so I didn’t miss any details.  Adults often pick out books that kids “should” read.  I’ve often heard this title mentioned as one of those “should read” books.  Most of the time, “should read” books are not very entertaining for children, but Night of the Twisters is an exception.  Based on a true event from June of 1980, this book gives readers a sense of what it is like to go through a natural disaster.  This is an excellent book to use in connection with a unit on weather.   I would also like to children compare and contrast this book with the opening scenes from the movie: The Wizard of Oz.

Recommended for 3rd grade and up.

Mrs. Archer’s rating: 5 of 5

No comments:

Post a Comment