O’Sullivan, Joanne. Between Two Skies.

O’Sullivan, Joanne. Between Two Skies. Candlewick Press     2017  267   $16.99      Hardback  ISBN 978-0-7636-9034-2  ms/hs  Realistic fiction  E-BN

Evangeline Riley loves Bayou Perdu with its lush flowers, scents, music and endless water vistas as well as secluded waterways. Her father’s shrimp fishing business is hardscrabble, but with her mother’s cooking skills at the family-owned diner, they get by.  Listening to weather reports and noticing the lack of birds and crickets, they decide to leave just before Hurricane Katrina hits. They eventually settle with a relative in Atlanta, a far cry from the open spaces and rural Louisiana Evangeline loves. Being beholden to others is not her father’s way, especially since he can no longer fish. Both he and Evangeline know their life is on the water, not in an asphalt-covered city. Her mother finds a job and likes her new life. An older sister no longer is queen of anything and finds it difficult to fit in to the new community. A love story develops for Evangeline with a most unlikely boy. The ups and downs for all family members as they mourn their total loss of their possessions and a changed lifestyle is heart-wrenchingly portrayed. Authentic characters, vivid imagery, and a well-crafted plot make this a book for historical fiction collections, as well as for readers who like to delve deeply into family relationships.   It is superb for the emotional impact of natural disasters on individuals and families.

Summary: Superb imagery combined with heartfelt emotions. Life in the Bayou for the Riley family is hardscrabble but satisfying to Evangeline. After Hurricane Katrina, her family starts to fray after being displaced to Atlanta. This is an excellent story of love, loss and hope. Gr 7+  

Hurriane Katrina-Fiction                                          --Lois McNicol

Burgan, Michael. Total Devastation: The Story of Hurricane Katrina.

Burgan, Michael.  Total Devastation: The Story of Hurricane Katrina.  Capstone Publishers  2017  112p  $23.99  ISBN 978-1-4914-8452-4  elem/ms  Series: Tangled History.  Nonfiction  E-BN               

Told from the viewpoints of weather forecasters, hospital workers, police, citizens and ministers in a chronological format, this book takes the reader on a harrowing journey into the aftermath of the hurricane that devastated New Orleans in 2005.  Hurricane Katrina preparations were inadequate, shelters became overcrowded and unlivable, people were stranded in flooded homes, patients needing electronic devices were without power, and hospitals had to evacuate as best they could.  For 48 hours or more, valiant, heroic people did their best to help and care for the thousands who remained in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina broke the levees. The author makes use of a gripping narrative that will stay with the reader long after finishing the book.  This book could serve as a hi/lo reader for middle school. It will fit into discussions of community preparedness, natural disasters, and events that changed people’s lives.  It includes an index, a glossary, follow-up facts (such as the population decline of 200,000 people , including those who did not return after evacuation), a timeline and discussion questions.  Color photos show the breadth of destruction and people’s efforts to rescue others. Strongly recommended for library collections as the narrative format provided by those who lived the event is compelling and the photos make the text come alive.

The series Tangled History includes two new books that offer a look at life-changing events such as the Holocaust and Hurricane Katrina through personal narrative.  Each book includes a timeline, a glossary, discussion questions, index,  and a bibliography. Grades 4-9. Hi/lo for middle school.

           

Summary: Told from the viewpoints of weather forecasters, hospital workers, police, citizens and ministers in a chronological format, this book takes the reader on a harrowing journey through the hurricane that devastated New Orleans in 2005.  Gripping narrative.  Gr 4-9.

Hurricane Katrina, Natural disasters                                                                          --Lois McNicol

Brown, Don. Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans.

Brown, Don.  Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans.  Houghton Mifflin/ Harcourt Brace   2015  96p   $18.99  ISBN 978-0-544-15777-4  ms/hs  Graphic nonfiction  E-BN   

Drowned City is a powerful portrayal of the impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans.  Brown uses statistics and quotes paired with drawings in muted tones to convey the tragedy that occurred.  He covers the event from the initial winds gathering in Africa and the building storm to the evacuation, rescue, and aftermath.  The failures are discussed, including the evacuation busses and trains that left empty because many refused to leave, the lack of communication and action between government officials, and the looting.  The heroism of emergency personnel and citizens is demonstrated repeatedly.  This is a must-have for any secondary collection. Source notes and a bibliography are included. Highly recommended.

Summary: The impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans is illustrated in graphic-novel format.      

Hurricane Katrina, 2005                               --Stephanie Pennucci

Coleman, Janet Wyman. Eight Dolphins of Katrina.

Coleman, Janet Wyman.  Eight Dolphins of Katrina.     Houghton Mifflin  2013  unp  $16.99  ISBN 978-0-547-71923-8  elm/ms      Nonfiction  E-BN

During Hurricane Katrina, a tank housing eight dolphins was damaged and the dolphins were released into the Gulf of Mexico.  This title details their miraculous survival and rescue.  The text is based on interviews with Tim Hoffland, one of the dolphin trainers at the Gulfport Oceanarium.

 
As Hurricane Katrina approached, six dolphins were moved inland to motel swimming pools.  The remaining eight had to be left in their tank.  Between the winds and the tidal wave, the tank was destroyed.  When staffers saw the damage, they feared for their charges in the polluted Gulf of Mexico.  This book details their efforts to find and rescue these eight dolphins.

The illustrations are paintings depicting lines in the text.  At the end of the book there is a photo album of the actual damage from the hurricane and the rescue efforts.  Additional material includes four stories of dolphins rescuing others, as recently as 2008.  There is also a description of the personalities of each of the eight rescued dolphins.

Curriculum Connections - Mississippi, the state; dolphins; hurricanes and the aftermath; Hurricane Katrina.

Summary:  During Hurricane Katrina, a tank housing eight dolphins was damaged and the dolphins were released into the Gulf of Mexico.  This title details their miraculous survival and rescue.  The text is based on interviews with Tim Hoffland, one of the dolphin trainers at the Gulfport Oceanarium.

Dolphin rescue, Hurricane Katrina                                 --Joan Theal