April 1, 2017
Tornadoes aren't supposed to happen in Hitchcock, Massachusetts. When a tornado unexpectedly strikes her small, largely white town, Maddie is at a sixth-grade end-of-the-school-year dance watching her crush, Avery, dance with new girl Gabriella. Soon the dance ends amid the realization that the storm has caused serious damage; Maddie learns that her house and Avery's are among those destroyed. Maddie's dog, Hank, is missing, in part because in her excitement, Maddie failed to bring him inside before leaving for the dance. It's a strong setup, and Bishop narrates smoothly in the third person from Maddie's point of view, but the story struggles to find its identity in the aftermath of the storm, as Maddie's middle school-relationship angst garners far more coverage than the disaster. The friendship story competes with the tornado and the missing dog, which is one plotline too many for this novel. It also struggles with pacing, as Maddie and Avery's significant conversations are punctuated by lengthy intervals, sapping the story of much-needed urgency. These are quibbles next to the failure to evoke the mammoth sense of upheaval a tornado strike wreaks in real life. A readable novel that won't linger long in anyone's memory. (Fiction. 8-12)
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April 1, 2017
Gr 4-6-Sixth grader Maddie is excited to go to the school dance, where she's hoping to spend time with her crush, Avery. Instead, her best friend Kiersten's new BFF Gabby dances with Avery. Meanwhile, a tornado levels Maddie's and Avery's homes while they are at the dance, and the two must take shelter at a neighbor's house for the rest of the summer; much drama ensues. Living with her crush in such close proximity intensifies Maddie's social anxiety and forces her to examine her feelings. Unfortunately, the characterizations are uneven. While Maddie's awkward avoidance tactics are authentic and relatable, some of her internal thoughts come across as overly adult and preachy, and her narration relies too much on telling and not enough on showing. The hopeful tone and conversational writing style make this an accessible read, though the message may be a bit too on the nose for some. VERDICT An additional purchase for large collections, especially those in need of wholesome realistic fiction.-Rachel Reinwald, Lake Villa District Library, IL
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
April 15, 2017
Grades 5-7 For Maddie, the sixth-grade dance means time to hang with her best friend, Kiersten, and a chance to dance with her crush, Avery. Sure, Kiersten's been hanging out with new girl Gabriella, but she and Maddie are still best friends. Then Avery asks Gabriella to dance, instead of Maddie. But that takes a backseat when a tornado destroys both Maddie's house and Avery's, and her dog goes missing. Soon after, she finds herself living in the same house as Averyall summer. This might give him the chance to see her as more than a friend, but she's so mortified to be sharing such close quarters that she can barely talk to him. But as Maddie's family recovers from the aftermath of the tornado, life goes on. Bishop (The Distance to Home, 2016) nails the tween voice: Maddie is a realistic heroine who deals with typical middle-grade problems amidst disaster, and she navigates upheavals with occasional grace and more frequent missteps. Tornado or not, growing up is a tempestuous business.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2017
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.
(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)