April 1, 2010
Gr 4-6-Students with a penchant for the extreme will relish the dangerous situations described in these fact-filled works, whose first-person accounts add nail-biting immediacy. The books describe some of the same threats as those covered in ABDOs Weather Watchers, but here the pitch of the content and the appetite of the audience are a perfect match. While focusing on one survivors experiences before, during, and after events such as Hurricane Katrina, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and Chicagos deadly 1995 heat wave, the books also relate the history of the event and similar disasters, and scientific cause and effect. While the authors dont gloss over human suffering, including the poverty that exacerbated tragedies such as Hurricane Katrina, they refrain from political commentary. Large, clear color photographs and effective scientific diagrams add to the successful presentations.
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July 1, 2010
Each volume relates the events of a specific natural disaster. Two-page sections describe what happened or what caused the event as well as the personal stories of those who lived through it; the journalistic style heightens tension, but the text is limited in details. Tips are provided on what to do during and after each type of disaster. Maps and photographs supplement the texts. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind.
(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)