Another Kind of Hurricane in Mock Newbery 2026

May 14, 2015 Erin Moulton rated it it was amazing

Henry has lost his best friend to a tragic accident.
Zavion has lost his home to a natural disaster.
Henry sends a pair of Jeans to New Orleans, without realizing his lucky marble is in the pocket.
Zavion receives those jeans and wonders where the marble came from.
The two boys journey toward each other. The two stories with bright and colorful characters, weave in and out. I loved how the stories connected. How the people connected. How the magic (of life and hope and recovery) was about connec ...more

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Jul 22, 2017 Barbara rated it liked it

Shelves: cultural-identity, loss, families, facing-fears, animals, weather, community, travel, emotions, friendship

Although the author has good intentions in weaving the story of two very different boys who are dealing with grief and loss together, it's hard to imagine that their paths could ever cross and that one special marble would have been found in a pair of jeans sent to New Orleans. Anyone who lived through Hurricane Katrina and its messy aftermath will look askance at this story although applauding the author for trying to capture what happened. Ten-year-old Henry's guilt over his friend's death on ...more

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Oct 26, 2015 Maria Caplin rated it it was amazing

Loved this book- the woven story of two boys and their totally different lives hooked me as a reader. It's not just a story about the hurricane but a story about friendships, family members who do their best and most of all hope for their new normal. ...more

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Jul 05, 2015 Julie Williams rated it really liked it

Zavion and his father lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. They are now trying to put their lives back together but Zavion is scared and wants to fix everything. Henry just lost his best friend Wayne in an accident and he feels responsible. When Henry's mom gives away a pair of his jeans to help people in New Orlean, Henry realizes his lucky marble was in the jeans and contrives a way to get down to New Orleans. Zavion, of course, was the recipient of Henry's jeans and marbles. Through a series ...more

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Dec 02, 2015 Jen rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, mock-newbery-2016

Summary:
Zavion and Henry live in different places but both have lost someone very important to them. Zavion lives through Hurricane Katrina but loses everything including his house, and this is after losing his mother to an illness. Henry lives in Vermont, and does not experience a disastrous storm, but instead loses his best friend in a horrible accident on a mountain. Even though these boys live very far apart a marble brings them together.

Recommendations:
This is a great book that teaches ki ...more

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Oct 24, 2015 Debbie Tanner rated it it was amazing

Shelves: family-stories, chapter-books, text-to-self, feelings, realistic-fiction, social-issues, text-to-world-connections, making-a-change, adventure, small-moments

I really liked this story about two boys who are dealing with big losses in their lives. Henry's best friend has died in hiking accident and Zavion survived Hurricane Katrina but is still dealing with the loss of his mother some time before. This story is complicated, with a big cast of characters and it's a little confusing at times because each chapter, at first, switches between characters and at times it's hard to keep the thread of who's connected to whom, but it's worth the effort. The sto ...more

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Aug 17, 2015 Crystal rated it it was amazing

Shelves: middle-grade, death, grief

Review copy : ARC from publisher

This book grabbed my heart and squeezed. These two boys are both dealing with loss. Henry has lost his best friend and Zavion has lost his home. Their paths are heading towards each other even though they live hundreds of miles away from each other.

Another Kind of Hurricane is beautifully written weaving the two stories together and showing how healing can begin when we reach out to others.

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Dec 30, 2015 Kate Hastings rated it really liked it

Shelves: middle-school, jfic-middle-grades-4-6

Grades 4-8. Two boys dealing with separate tragedies are brought together when hurricane relief brings supplies to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Told from both perspectives, their stories perfectly intertwine with a satisfying ending. Pairing with the non-fiction book Drowned City.

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Nov 05, 2015 Susan Dunn rated it liked it

Shelves: j-fiction

Two boys, both grieving terrible losses, somehow connect with one another in the chaos after Hurricane Katrina. A little bit of mystical realism and a lot of heartache make this one a memorable read.

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