The Disaster Days
by Rebecca Behrens (Author)
Hatchet meets The Babysitters Club in this epic and thrilling survival story about pushing oneself to the limit in the face of a crisis.We were all alone, in a shaken and shattered house, in the dark. And I was in charge.
Hannah Steele loves living on Pelling, a tiny island near Seattle. She's always felt totally safe there.So when she's asked to babysit after school one day, it's no big deal. Zoe and Oscar are her next-door neighbors, and Hannah just took a babysitting class, which she's pretty sure makes her an expert. She isn't even worried that she left her inhaler at home.
Then the shaking begins. The terrifying earthquake only lasts four minutes, but it changes everything--damaging the house, knocking out the power, and making cell service nonexistent. Even worse, the ferry and the bridge connecting the kids to help--and their parents--are both blocked, which means they're stranded alone. And Hannah's in charge as things go from bad to worse.
Praise for The Disaster Days:
A realistic, engrossing survival story that's perfect for aspiring babysitters and fans of John Macfarlane's Stormstruck!, Sherry Shahan's Ice Island, or Wesley King's A World Below.--School Library Journal
The strength of this steadily paced novel that stretches over four days of a scary disaster scenario is that Hannah doesn't figure everything out; she stumbles, doubts, and struggles throughout it all.--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Fans of survival thrillers in the vein of Gary Paulsen's Hatchet will enjoy this tense, honest tale of bravery...an excellent (and refreshingly not didactic) teaching tool on natural-disaster preparedness.--Booklist
The relentless progression of a variety of disaster scenarios will keep readers turning pages...equally suspenseful and informative.--School Library Connection
Behrens uses immersive details and situations effectively viewed from Hannah's perspective to create a suspenseful, vivid story filled with lessons about responsibility and overcoming adversity.--Publishers Weekly
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Publishers Weekly
Behrens's natural disaster-themed epic portrays a young person's grace under pressure. Hannah, 13, is embroiled in typical early teen drama with friends, school, and her parents. She's also worried about her second-ever babysitting gig, which will be for a neighbor on the small island of Pelling, near Seattle. Reality exceeds her imagined worst-case scenario after an earthquake traps her and her two young charges--10-year-old Zoe and her younger brother, Oscar--on the island without power, a working phone, or adult guidance. It's up to Hannah, despite asthma and serious injuries, to keep them safe. Her extraordinary resourcefulness and courage in deadly situations highlight her burgeoning maturity. Behrens (When Audrey Met Alice) uses immersive details and situations effectively viewed from Hannah's perspective to create a suspenseful, vivid story filled with lessons about responsibility and overcoming adversity. Ages 8-12. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary. (Oct.)
Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.School Library Journal
Gr 4-7--Pelling, a small, isolated, fictional island near Seattle, is a utopia. At least, that's what Hannah Steele thinks. Life for Hannah is safe and simple, so much so she hardly worries when she forgets her emergency inhaler for her asthma while babysitting her neighbor's children, Zoe and Oscar. Hannah feels prepared because she's 13, has taken a babysitting course, has her phone if there's a real emergency, and knows home is less than a mile away. Her biggest issues are her mother, who babies her, and her concern that her best friend is ignoring her. Then the shaking starts. After the earthquake, Hannah discovers Pelling is completely cut off from the mainland and the phone towers are down. Her only lifeline is the emergency services broadcasts on the radio. With no adults, Hannah, Zoe, and Oscar must use all their resources to survive. Even as the action steadily increases, the characters behave realistically. Hannah and her charges have reasonable amounts of working knowledge for the emergency but react in an age-appropriate manner to the escalating danger. After reading Behrens's informative, riveting portrayal of earthquakes and their aftermath, readers may learn how to respond in a similar situation. VERDICT A realistic, engrossing survival story that's perfect for aspiring babysitters and fans of John Macfarlane's Stormstruck!, Sherry Shahan's Ice Island, or Wesley King's A World Below.--Kaetlyn Phillips, Yorkton, Sask.
Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
JUV014000 - Juvenile Fiction | Girls & Women
JUV029030 - Juvenile Fiction | Nature & the Natural World | Disasters
Washington (State)
Islands
Babysitters
Self-reliance
Earthquakes
