Thursday, June 5, 2014

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


Lamana, Julie T. Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere,  313 pgs. Chronicle Books 2014. $16.99. 

Language: G (0 swears) Violence: PG; Mature content: PG. 

Armani Curtis is about to turn 10, but a big storm is coming which is putting her party plans in jeopardy!  Her daddy scales down the party to just family, and although the mayor has said to evacuate, they decide to ride out the storm.  No one expected Hurricane Katrina to hit New Orleans, and the 9th ward suffered serious damage.  Now, Armani’s neighborhood is broken, and so is her family.  

This moving account of the aftermath of Katrina and its effect on a family is a beautiful debut novel.  Although the main character is only 10, the story is not for the very young.  The descriptions of the sights and the sounds bring this tragedy to life, without being gory or brutal.  An excellent read for the middle school library; this isn’t just another hurricane story.  

MS - ESSENTIAL  Lisa Librarian

1 comment:

Susan said...

I just reviewed this book on my blog as well. I really enjoyed it, especially the way the author brings real events to life while keeping the story hopeful. Great review!