Hurricane Song

by Paul Volponi

Overview

When Miles's mother remarries, Miles decides to move to New Orleans to be with his father. But he and his father are very different—Miles's dad lives for jazz, while Miles's first love is football. Then Hurricane Katrina hits, and the two must seek refuge in the Superdome. What would normally be a dream come true for a football fan, this safe haven turns into a nightmare when the power fails and gangs take over. And when his father decides to rebel, Miles must make a choice that will alter their relationship—and their lives—forever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440632488
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	06/12/2008
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
Lexile:	850L (what's this?)
File size:	642 KB
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

Paul Volponi is the author of the critically acclaimed young adult novel Black & White. From 1992 to 1998, he taught adolescents on Rikers Island in New York City to read and write. Mr. Volponi worked at a day treatment center like Daytop teaching students and helping them prepare for the GED. Mr. Volponi lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 10 Up—Set in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, Paul Volponi's novel (Viking, 2008) provides a graphic description of the horrors that ensued during the evacuation and for those who took shelter in the Superdome—no electricity or running water, and groups of thugs competing for turf. Sixteen-year-old Miles and his musician father and uncle seek shelter in the Superdome after their car overheats during their evacuation. Miles and his dad have only been living together for a couple of months and are still trying to reach common ground between his father's love of music and the teen's love of football. It is music, however, that is the catalyst that brings the two together after Miles's father rebels against the rules set by the Superdome's weekend soldiers. Jacob C. Norman does a good job of voicing Miles and his father, but does not clearly differentiate between the other characters. Their eventual journey to Seattle and return to New Orleans is related in an epilogue. Versions of "When the Saints Go Marching In," sung by Norman slightly off key, opens every chapter. Jazz riffs play at the opening and closing credits. An additional purchase.—Suanne Roush, Osceola High School, Seminole, FL

School Library Journal

Volponi leaves his usual basketball milieu behind and sets his story in New Orleans at the time of Hurricane Katrina, with football and music as his themes. Miles lives with his mother in Chicago, but when she remarries, he chooses to live with his trumpeter dad and Uncle Roy, another musician, hoping to make his mark at his new school in football. Miles knows he'll have to take care of himself whenever music calls because his father puts his music before anything else. Hurricane Katrina sets the rhythm and the scene as the three try to leave the city only to end up stuck in the Superdome. What begins as something of a lark gradually morphs into an ordeal out of nightmares. As the hurricane ratchets up in intensity, so does the need for Dad, Miles and Uncle Roy to discover what matters to them and how to defend it. Not for sissies-a riveting and readable exploration of the effects of race in today's world. (Fiction. YA)

Kirkus Reviews

"This powerful tale is a quick but indelible read." --Kliatt, starred review

"A riveting and readable exploration of the effects of race in today’s world." —Kirkus Reviews

"Volponi pulls no punches in his visceral depiction of the horrors that New Orleans’ black residents experienced." —Booklist

From the Publisher

God slaps the New Orleans Superdome like a drum as he sings a hurricane song called Katrina in this riveting young adult novel. Between the authenticity of the writing and narrator Jacob Norman’s laid-back, youthful delivery, listeners will be convinced they're eavesdropping on the characters in this novel. Miles, a high school sophomore, and his pop and uncle are forced to ride out the disastrous 2005 storm in the city's shelter of last resort. The violence, the filth, and the shortages of food, water, and medical care all unfold in a way that will convince listeners that Volponi was really there. Couple the writing with Norman's authentic-sounding teen voice, and everything about this gripping descent into hurricane hell feels real. Norman sings verses from "When the Saints Go Marching In" between chapters. Luckily, his narrator's voice rings with an authenticity and passion that his singing voice lacks. M.M.C. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

DECEMBER 2009 - AudioFile