Friday, November 14, 2014

Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere by Julie T. Lamana

Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere
Armani is eagerly looking forward to her tenth birthday party, but there's one problem. Everyone is distracted by weather reports about Hurricane Katrina even though it's not even headed toward New Orleans. Armani's dad decides it's okay to have her party, but her friends are told not to come, just to be safe. The family realizes the storm has changed its course when the winds pick up and a giant oak tree smashes Dad's truck. The family huddles in the house for safety, but a wave of water smashes into it. A levee must have broken sending flood waters throughout the ninth ward. Dad keeps saying things will be okay up until the point when he's washed away in the flood while trying to save his son from drowning. The rest of the story is an adventure.

The plot develops much like any other book as Armani deals with her friends, family, and Meemaw. The threat of the hurricane is just a nuisance. Then, the plot becomes a survival story. The author successfully shares Armani's special relationship with her grandmother and the confusion surrounding the storm. The family's life-threatening conflict creates suspense and reminds readers that stories do not always end with happily ever after.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Comments unrelated to the books being described will be removed.