It seems hard to believe that it has been five years since the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina and it's aftermath. There will no doubt be plenty of segments on CNN and other news stations about the events, and I'm sure that a casual blog post here would not do justice to the memory of what happened. However, my words are not necessary."Hurricane Song" by Paul Volponi is THE book to read if you are interested in a very realistic, fictionalized portrayal of what happened in New Orleans during the storm. Miles has been living with his father in New Orleans for only two months when Hurricane Katrina hits - and he isn't really happy about it. Miles loves football while his dad lives for jazz. But the two must come together in order to survive when the hurricane hits and they seek refuge in the crowded Superdome. What begins as a safe haven from the storm soon turns into a nightmare.
This first-rate survival story is powerful and moving. This is why I nominated it for the 2010 Popular Paperback list "Hard Knock Life" and why my fellow committee members voted it onto the list. Every year, our 8th graders do a "Survival" unit in Language Arts, and this is always one of the more popular books. I think that I will have to get more copies this year!
Have you read the book? What do you think?
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Just wanted to let you know that there is a Banned Books Week Challenge at http://stephsureads.blogspot.com if you're interested.
I had a rather large comment form filled out on the hurricane Katrina book. If I can find it on my screen I'll post. it.
Heather at Buried in Books
Wow- Having just dodged the bullet on Earl up here in Cape Cod, this is a timely book. I still remember seeing all those people and animals and thinking this cannot be the United States. This has to be a third world country. We don't let this happen to our people. We were rivited to the t.v. for days.
My husband has been watching the Spike Lee movie about New Orleans today and how it's rebuilt and the things that happened right after Katrina. It was horrible. Then Spike Lee is there when the BP oil rig blows. Will New Orleans and the Gulf ever recover???
Yeah! I found my post that was missing! Not that it's a happy subject.
Heather
Buried in Books
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