Zane and the Hurricane
Title: Zane and the Hurricane
Author: Rodman Philbrick
Pages: 181
Grade Level: 7&8th
Lexile Level: 860L
Zane and the Hurricane is an epic tale. It’s honest and straightforward. It tells of the disgusting, nasty, terrifying effects of a catastrophic hurricane. It tells too of how three courageous people and a dog survive it all.
The story starts with Zane. Zane’s mother and father met in while they were serving in the Air Force. After they married, they moved to New Hampshire. Zane’s father was originally from New Orleans. His father died in a tragic traffic accident before Zane was born.
The summer before Zane turned thirteen, his mother was able to locate some of her husband's family. She found Zane’s father’s grandmother, Miss Trissy. Miss Trissy still lives in New Orleans. Zane’s Mom arranges for Zane to visit his great grandmother. Zane reluctantly agrees to go, but insists that his dog, Bandit, must come with him. Zane and Bandit fly to New Orleans to meet Miss Trissy.
A few days after Zane arrives in New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina blows into town. The entire city of New Orleans is under mandated evacuation. Miss Trissy, Zane and Bandit caught a ride with the pastor of Miss Trissy’s church. As they are driving out of town, they get stuck in traffic. Somehow, Bandit manages to jump out the window of the van. Without thinking, Zane jumps out of the window and runs after Bandit. Bandit is determined to run back to Miss Trissy’s house. He doesn’t allow Zane to catch up with him until he is on the porch of Miss Trissy’s house. Now they are stuck at the house without any way to evacuate.
They manage to get into the house and find some food. Zane even calls his Mom, but soon the storm messes up the telephone lines. Then the electric goes out. The wind starts to howl. Zane and Bandit curl up on the couch and try to block out the noise. They manage to doze off. When they wake up, the winds aren’t as strong. The storm seems to have passed and patches of blue sky can be seen. They’ve survived! At least that’s what they think until they see all the water surging everywhere. The levees broke!
Zane hurries inside. The water is rising fast! He knows that he and Bandit must get to the attic. They manage to climb into the attic. The water is still rising and so is the temperature. Now, they are stuck in the hot attic with very little ventilation and no potable water. Bandit starts barking and barking. Zane keeps drifting in and out of consciousness. Then someone yells down the vent opening. Zane rouses himself. Just below the small vent shaft, is a battered green canoe with two people aboard. Together, can they survive the devastation of a flood and a hurricane?
This is one of those amazing books that when you finish and the story is all over; all you can say is Wow, that was amazing! This is a well-researched book that has the facts of a history book, the characters of real life and the emotion of tragedy. This talented author writes about the hard stuff with tact and honesty. He talks of the racial tension, looting, balls of snakes, the smell and most of all the awfulness of death. He doesn’t shield the reader from the horribleness. Instead he approaches it with thoughtfulness and dignity. This author is incredibly talented!
A few things you should be aware of when reading this book. Zane seems to harbor bitterness toward the person who hit his father. This often comes across in disrespectful language toward the person. For example, he often refers to him as “old grumby.” Within the tragedy of the hurricane, there are other tragedies that the author bring up. One is all the floating dead bodies. It’s very tactfully written, but it’s still a very powerful scene. Another hard scene is when they are approaching the bridge that is guarded by police. They approach the bridge, but don’t stop when the guards tell them too. Then Bandit goes crazy and is shot. They make a big deal about the cruelty toward animals. All in all, it is a wonderfully honest book. I would recommend adult intervention or rather interaction when reading this book.
