Eye of the Storm by Kate Messner (Guest Post)

One of my favorite parts about having a pretty stellar classroom library, is that my old students always visit from the middle school looking for great books.  Earlier this year, Cassie, a fifth grader, stopped by to say, hi. I knew that I had the perfect book  for her.  After listening to me read The Brialliant Fall of Gianna Z, and Skyping with Kate at the end of last year, I knew she would be excited to read Eye of the Storm.  I asked her to send me her thoughts, and the following is what she wrote.

I really enjoyed the book, The Eye of the Storm by Kate Messner.  The setting of this story is in the future.  In the book the world is covered in tornados.  Having three tornados a day is normal!!!!!  Jayden’s dad runs an organization that is called storm safe.  It is a special community that is protected by a network of computer systems that Storm Safe runs to redirect tornados to different places.  A girl named Jayden, whose parents are divorced goes to her dad’s house for the summer. Shortly after she arrives, she meets three people, Alex, Risha, and Tomas, – who she thinks is her friend.  Later they all go to a camp that’s about preventing tornados.  Jayden’s dad runs the company to stop and “kill tornados,” (or so everyone thinks.)  My favorite part was when Alex and Jayden figure out what Jayden’s dad is really up to.  I think that the author did a wonderful job describing each part of the story.  In the beginning of the book I didn’t know what the “data slate” was for.  Now, after reading more of the book, I realize that a data slate is like an ipad.  It can do many different things, like a computer.

I never thought that the truth behind the storms would unravel like they did.

I also enjoyed the part when Jayden’s father pops out of the computer as an image at the camp every day.  It was cool how the author put so much thought into this book.  I felt like I was inside of the tornadoes and watching everything happened as she wrote it.  Kate Messner really brought this book to life.  I thought that it was cool that she placed the story in the future.  I could easily picture her description of the rising- wind, boxes, wood and trash flying through the air.  Than, a big funnel of wind hurdling toward the city with people on one side of the fence screaming and running for cover while on the other side of the fence everyone is calm.  Toddlers playing on swings and adults sitting on benches talking.

It is easy to imagine Alex racing to fine cover while the chickens cluck nervously and all the fruits and vegetables in the fields are ripped out of the ground and fly through the air.

I think that the book is even better than others because it is written in the first person.  This has become one of my favorite books because I it has a wonderful mind of pictures for me to “ look at.”

If I had had to rate the book, I would give it a 10 out of 10 because of the descriptions and awesome details… I hope that everyone who reads Eye of the Storm enjoys it as much as I did.

Look for Eye of the Storm, on shelves, 3/13/2012

Thanks Cassie!