The Surge

September 1, 2011

Family members separated in a Florida hurricane struggle to get back together, but the waters are rising fast and big cats are on the loose in this sequel to Storm Runners (2011).

Taking up the action exactly where the previous episode left off, stranded teenagers Chase and Nicole leave the (supposed) safety of the circus barn to fetch gas for the sputtering generator—only to run into an escaped lion and, later, a very aggressive leopard. Meanwhile, Chase's father and a TV news crew face flooding territory and multiple other serious dangers as they make their way toward the young folks' refuge. Though the characters show a remarkable ability to carry on conversations in normal tones of voice amid howling winds and flying debris, the action never lags. As the two parties draw toward an eventual reunion Smith's habit of switching his very short chapters back and forth on cliffhangers becomes more a suspense builder than the distraction it was in the opener. Nearly devoid of references to previous events and closing on game-changing news that will be sending the central cast on an emergency mission to Mexico in the next episode, this slice of natural disaster isn't exactly freestanding, but it definitely offers nary a dull moment.

A high-velocity page-turner, for all that it's only a segment of a larger arc. (Adventure. 11-13)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

November 1, 2011

Gr 6-9-In Storm Runners (Scholastic, 2011), Chase Masters, 13, and his friends Nicole and Rashawn survived the storm of the century, Hurricane Emily. They made it safely to Nicole's family farm, the winter home of the Rossi Brothers Circus. Now, floodwaters are rising and they must get to higher ground. This isn't going to be easy because some lions have escaped their cages, and a leopard is on the loose. Oh, and there is a chained elephant in the barn that could give birth at any moment. The short chapters have headings that designate the time, giving a sense of urgency to the narrative, and they alternate between Chase and his friends and Mr. Masters, who is trying to get to the barn. Readers will want more of this fast-paced, exciting adventure, but will have to wait for the next installment in the series.-Shannon Seglin, Patrick Henry Library, Vienna, VA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2012
In this second Storm Runners book, Chase, Nicole, and Rashawn have found shelter at Nicole's family farm, winter home of a circus. But they're not safe yet: now they must find a way to survive both a surging flood and a hungry circus leopard that's on the loose. Fast pacing and weather and animal-behavior facts combine in a satisfyingly entertaining way.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)