Storm Runners

The action keeps rolling and rolling in this hurricane chasing book. Events seem improbable - exciting yes, but unrealistic. The interior feelings and motives of characters are not explored, leaving them to feel one-dimensional. It's just action packed scene after action packed scene, ending in the middle of a momentous scene. It's as if Roland Smith is begging us to read the next installment. It's a cheap trick. While I understand that writers need to display a variety of tactics and magic to attract and keep reluctant readers reading, the content certainly doesn't need to be dumbed down.

Overall, a quick read and a page turner, I'll give it that.

This book kind of reads like a campfire story - it's outrageous, plot-driven, and full of twists and turns, but not overly complicated. It's a great read for people who like extreme survival stories.

One stormy day, Chase leaves his tools outside just before a storm. His dad goes out to get them and is struck by lightning.

One year later, Chase and his dad are following storms across the country. Although they spend more time together than ever before, even after the accident several years ago that killed his mom and little sister, Chase and his dad are farther apart than ever. Then Hurricane Emily strikes unexpectedly, and Chase must not only survive, he must do his best to help the two girls stranded with him. His dad has taught him every possibly emergency strategy, but will they stand up to gale force winds, rapidly rising floods, and Florida alligators?

After the brief setting of the prologue and a few chapters laying out Chase's show more new life and his arrival in Florida, the reader is plunged immediately into non-stop, heart-pounding action. The story alternates between Chase and his friends' desperate struggle for survival and Chase's dad's frantic efforts to find him in the middle of a huge hurricane while dealing with officials and reporters.

The story ends on a major cliffhanger; it's so sudden it's rather jarring. It felt as though Smith wrote a whole book and then the editor said "hey, let's make this a series" and just chopped it up. However, despite my dislike of series, I hate the massively thick volumes being churned out for middle grade readers even more, so I'll overlook the sudden ending.

Verdict: This will grab your reluctant readers by the throat and threaten them until they finish the story. I recommend waiting for at least the second volume and buying them together, since the ending is so sudden. Otherwise, you'll find yourself mobbed with desperate readers who absolutely must know what happens next NOW! I mean, really, how can you end a story in the eye of a hurricane with a leopard on the loose?

ISBN: 9780545081757; Published March 2011; ARC provided by publisher at ALA Midwinter; Added to order list, will buy when sequel(s) are available. show less

I could only give this book four stars due to the abrupt ending. Buy the next book to continue the story! I liked the way the chapters alternated among different scenes and different groups of people, thus different views of the situation. I also liked that the chapter headings were chronological times, not chapter numbers. I wanted to learn more about Momma Rossi and the circus family, but those characters were not well developed. I did like John Masters very much, a very cool dad character. Chase (good name!) also had a lot of survival skills. The book was very gripping and drew in the reader almost at once. Too bad I have to get the next two books to finish the story!

Chase and his father travel around the country looking for storms -- Chase's father is a contractor who specializes in storm preparation and clean-up. When Chase and a couple of friends are stranded miles from safety in the middle of a hurricane, Chase's storm survival skills are tested to their limits. They face high winds, raging water, and wild animals . . . and even when they reach their destination, the danger is far from over.

This isn't really a book -- it's the first third of a book. It ends in a cliffhanger, so if this sounds like the book for you, have the second one on hand. This fast-paced read that will definitely appeal to reluctant readers, especially those who enjoy man-versus-nature survival stories. I wouldn't recommend show more this for adult readers, as adult fans of this sort of thriller will seek out longer and more complex works. However, for readers in the target age range, this will be a highly enjoyable book. show less

So, after Chase's mom and sister are killed in a car accident and Chase's dad is struck by lightning (yes, really), Chase's dad decides to start a new career path as a storm runner. He heads to where severe storms are predicted and helps folks rebuild and shore up their houses and buildings. This means they travel a lot, which means it's been some time since middle-schooler Chase has been able to put roots down. And it also means he's learned a LOT about storms and survival through watching and working with his dad. When they head to Florida, just ahead of a predicted hurricane, Chase has a bad feeling that things are not going to go the way his dad has planned. When Hurricane Emily strikes land 50 miles north of where meteorologists show more had predicted, Chase finds himself trapped on a school bus with two of his classmates and they'll have to rely on Chase's wits to survive floods, hurricane winds, and alligators (yes!).

Once the book gets going, the action is nonstop and it'll definitely please tweens looking for adventure stories. Chase is a resourceful lad and puts his knowledge to good use. He's also a no-man-left-behind type of guy. Of course, the reader must suspend disbelief for some parts of the book, but it all makes for a rip-roaring good time. Be warned that the ending is a MAJOR CLIFFHANGER and you'll want to have the next books in the series at hand. Actually, probably encourage kids to check out all three at once. show less

This story of a storm-chasing father and son is full of nonstop action and adventure a la Mother Nature. Chase and his dad have traveled to Florida to prepare for Hurricane Emily. When it changes course unexpectedly, his dad is a few towns over, and Chase and a couple of new school friends find themselves trapped on a school bus that never made it to their homes. He and the two girls must use their wits if they are to travel the miles to their homes in the face of horrendous rains, winds, flooding, roads that are crumbling before their eyes, and way too many Florida alligators that have been disturbed by the storm. Fans of Gary Paulsen's Hatchet and other survival stories will tear through this one, and the cliffhanger ending will show more ensure they are waiting for the next in the series. show less