Gregory, Josh. The Superstorm Hurricane Sandy.

Gregory, Josh.  The Superstorm Hurricane Sandy.  Scholastic/Childrens Press  2013   48p   $29.00  ISBN 978-0-531-23750-2  elem (Grades 4-7)  series: A True Book  VG-BNS

This True Book appears to be written at a higher level than the books that were published in this series in the past.  Superstorm Hurricane Sandy does a good job of covering the storm.  It explains the origins and development of the storm, and maps show its path.  Photographs show the destruction left behind in its aftermath – the flooding and other destruction.  The text also does a good job of personalizing the damage and the storm’s effects on people’s lives.  This title will give readers who were far away from the storm’s impact a good idea of what it was like.

I see only two flaws in this book, and they are as follows: there is no mention of the huge number of volunteers beyond FEMA and the Red Cross who helped and are still helping people.  Also, the page on climate change pictures a polar bear.  The photograph is superfluous and has very little to do with the subject of the book.

The supplemental materials include a page of statistics, a list of four books on hurricanes, identification of the publisher’s “Factsfornow” web page, an acceptable glossary and a more-than-adequate index.

The book is targeted for grades 3-6, but the reading level is more appropriate for grades 4-7.  This is part of the newest addition to the True Book series: the Disasters series of 11 titles.  Each book examines in detail the causes leading up to a specific disaster, as well as the legacy it left behind, which we live today.    

Hurricane Sandy                                                   --Joan Theal