A Powerful novel about Hurricane Katrina

No doubt some are thinking "this chick is like Volponi's personal cheerleader!" Well, you'd be right. Anyone who can get my teenage students, especially the boys, to read a book is someone that needs to be talked about. Frankly, I think the man is amazing.

Once again Mr. Volponi creates a fast paced story that will engage readers. Miles cannot stand living with his mother and his new stepfather. The apartment is too cramped, there are too many kids. Miles has to escape..but where can he go? His mother finally allows him to move in with his father, a man he hasn't seen for most of his life. The relationship with Miles and his father is lukewarm at best. Miles’ father doesn’t have an interest in football and only cares about Jazz. Before the two can work on their relationship Hurricane Katrina hits.

The reader is given a vivid and often painful narrative of what life was like in the Superdome. We see these events through Miles' eyes. He is a frightened, confused young man who struggles to understand the inhumanity that is taking place around him. As always, Mr. Volponi does not shrink away from uncomfortable situations and paints a very realistic vision of what happened during those horrible days inside and outside the Superdome. There is some swearing in this novel, but once again it is never done to shock the reader but further the storyline.

Students who want a realistic portrayal of Hurricane Katrina will enjoy this book. For students who enjoyed Mr. Volponi’s other novels I have no doubt they will enjoy this one as well.

This is a very powerful book about a sad chapter in our country's history.