The Disaster Days

The Disaster Days

By Rebecca Behrens

Hannah Steele is a first-time babysitter.  At 13 years old, she’s not sure she should be in charge of anyone.  Luckily she’s babysitting close to home, so she’s not too worried.

Hannah and her charges, Oscar and Zoe, live on Pelling Island, a fictional suburb of Seattle.  Although they are close to the big city, Pelling feels very small indeed.  Houses are separated by the forest and there are only a few families on Hannah’s street.  But having grown up on Pelling, Hannah feels totally safe and secure there.

Hannah’s mom is still at work, her dad is out of town, and Oscar and Zoe’s mom, Andrea, has gone to an event in the city.  None of the kids’ adults are on the island when the earth starts to shake.  Windows shatter, furniture shifts, pottery smashes to the floor and the fridge falls over.  Hannah, Oscar and Zoe are terrified, but they know their parents will come for them immediately.

Day turns to night and no parents arrive.  Hannah knows she must take charge of the situation to keep Oscar and Zoe safe and secure.  She did not ask for the responsibility of taking care of two kids in an earthquake disaster zone, but she knows she must do it. Hannah wonders if having her in charge will be more dangerous than the earthquake.  Will she have enough faith in herself to step up and take responsibility?

Disaster Days is a great book for those who love survival stories (like me).  WARNING: The earthquake aftermath can be quite scary, especially since we are living in the same earthquake zone as those in Seattle.  Read at your own risk!

Survivor Diaries: Avalanche!

Survivor Diaries: Avalanche!

By Terry Lynn Johnson

Ashley and Ryan are twelve-year-old twins.  Both love to ski and have experience ski touring.  Although Ashley is a very competent skier, she is constantly trying to keep up with Ryan, who excels at everything.  

When Ashley and Ryan separate from their parents on a ski trip, they are supposed to follow the trail to the lodge.  Instead, they decide to have a bit of fun and take a detour, only to get caught in an avalanche!  

Ryan is injured and Ashley has to figure out how they are going to get back to the trail.  With night falling, Ashley must take charge of the situation and help her superstar brother to survive.

If you like survival stories, try Avalanche! or one of the other titles in the Survivor Diaries series!

Red River Raging

Red River Raging

By Penny Draper

Thirteen-year-old Finn Armstrong is a world traveler.  With a home base in Vancouver, Finn accompanies his parents on their international research trips.  This year he was supposed to go to Egypt, but instead he’s been sent to St. Agathe, Manitoba to stay with his grandmother and great-grandfather, known simply as Armstrong.

Finn is not too thrilled about moving to a town where nothing happens, but he starts to feel better when he begins making friends.  Finn soon learns the ways of prairie life: he goes skating at the Forks, a trail system on the frozen Red River, plays Cribbage with Armstrong and even tries ice fishing. 

Finn also learns that the Red River floods every year, but that a dyke system has been built to protect the towns and cities along its banks, including Winnipeg.  But when all the signs start pointing toward a major flood, Finn decides that he will step up to help save the prairie residents and their homes.

Sandbagging, building dykes, working in standing water and wearing gumboots all become second nature to Finn.  In fact, he and his friends start a Flood Club and recruit their classmates to travel wherever they are needed to help out.  It’s actually a lot of fun.

But when the river really starts flooding, everyone in town watches with baited breath as the flood moves north along the river.  Each day it passes through a new town, starting in the United States and continuing up into Canada.  In some towns, the dykes hold and the town is safe.  In others, homes and businesses end up under water, families must be saved from rooftops, and people’s lives are turned upside down.

Based on true events, Red River Raging is the story of the Red River flood of 1997.  Penny Draper’s Disaster Strikes series deals with real Canadian disasters.  If you like historical fiction or a good disaster story, this series is for you!