Hurricane

March 10, 2008
Set in a tiny village in Honduras, Trueman’s (Stuck in Neutral
) novel is based on Hurricane Mitch and the devastation it wrought in 1998, and informed by the author’s experiences teaching in San Pedro Sula in 1981–1982. Trueman explains in an endnote that Mitch was the worst storm to hit the Caribbean in 200 years: as the 13-year-old narrator, José, experiences it, Mitch is cataclysmic. Striking while José’s father, older brother and sister are out on the road, the calamitous weather induces a mudslide that destroys all but two of the houses in the village and buries most of the residents. It falls to José to conquer his fear and be the man of the house. Trueman doesn’t flinch from the grislier facts (in one scene, José leads a dig for groceries and finds the corpse of the grocer), but although he describes José’s thoughts and reactions he stints on the sensory details. Accordingly, readers will understand the impact of the storm, while the style and the almost miraculous happy ending may insulate them from feeling too much of it for themselves. An addendum links this novel (first published in a different form in the U.K. in 2003) with the events surrounding Hurricane Katrina. Ages 10-up.

March 1, 2008
Gr 5-8-Thirteen-year-old José loves soccer, his family, and his small village in Honduras. In 1998, when Hurricane Mitch hits, his beloved dog runs off and his father, older brother, and sister are away from home. José struggles to remain strong for his younger brother and sisters and helps his mother deal with water pouring in through their roof. As soon as the rain and wind subside, he ventures out to discover that nearly every house in their close-knit community has been completely destroyed by a mudslide. With 33 of the 56 residents dead and his father, brother, and sister missing, the teen finds himself acting as man of the house and a leader in his ravaged village. Narrated by José, the story is tragic and suspenseful without being sensationalized. The boy's inner struggle is well developed as he fights to do what must be done. Ultimately, he rises to the challenge, digging up dead bodies, finding food, and seeking medical help for his sick younger brother. José is an admirable character, and his story moves along at a quick pace that will sustain the attention of even reluctant readers."Melinda Piehler, Sawgrass Elementary School, Sunrise, FL"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2007
Setting his novel in Honduras in 1998, Trueman recounts the disastrous impact of Hurricane Mitch?the worst storm in the Caribbean in 200 years?on one small village. The author's protagonist is 13-year-old Jos, who must become the man of his family whenhis father and older brother go missing in the storm. ?It's up to me now, ? he thinks. ?I know what I have to do, and I can?I will somehow do it.? But it's not easy. Devastation and dead bodies are everywhere. Food and drinking water are scarce, and Jos's home, one of only two surviving buildings, has become a de facto shelter. But memories of his admired older brother provide emotional resources he didn?t know he had, and they enable him to assume a leadership role not only in his family but also in the village. Trueman's straightforward but heartfelt account is sobering, and inviting comparisons with Hurricane Katrina, it will be a catalyst for discussion and classroom study.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2008
In the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch, thirteen-year-old Jose must quell his fears as he leads his family and small Honduran village in rescue and recovery. Trueman realistically presents his protagonist's anxieties and concerns in the face of disaster. A happy ending for Jose and his family is never in doubt, though, which dilutes the story's impact.

(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)