Eye of the Storm

Gr 5–7—Forty years into the future, massive tornadoes threaten lives and property daily. Thirteen-year-old weather-buff Jaden Meggs moves in with her father to attend science camp inside the heart of tornado alley. Her scientist dad has made a fortune developing Placid Meadows, a posh neighborhood that no tornado can touch. After studying tornado behavior at camp, Jaden and her new friends begin to suspect that her father is hiding something. They soon discover that guaranteed safety comes at a high cost, leaving Jaden to decide if uncovering the truth is worth betraying her father. The futuristic community of Placid Meadows—where everyone carries a "data slate" and eats genetically altered fruit—will appeal to science-fiction fans. Multiple deadly storms provide plenty of action and parallel recent news reports about active weather patterns and climate change. While these heart-pounding scenes will be a hit, characters and plot are less developed. Readers know little about major characters beyond their intelligence and obsession with science, and the linear plot has only one focus—to stop the storms. Messner overexplains the science behind tornadoes and meteorology, which further detracts from the story and will leave some readers scratching their heads. Despite the flaws, fans of nonstop action and of S.A. Bodeen's The Gardener (Feiwel & Friends, 2010) and Pam Bachorz's Candor (Egmont USA, 2009) will like this one.—Leigh Collazo, Ed Willkie Middle School, Fort Worth, TX