It's a graphic novel, like a comic book. The story is about a boy named Jack Clark who's family lives in a town where he encounters bullies, dust bowls, no helping his father, and no rain at all. One day Jack wanders into the abandoned Talbot farm and finds a man that's face looked like rain. Soon he figures out that was the rain in a different form and Jack wanted to bring the rain back. So he faced the rain, then took the tote bag that brought rain but he got caught by the rain and soon they both started to tug it. But then the bag ripped and then the sky started to crackle and boom! The rain fell from the sky again and his father lets Jack help bring back the crops.
The Storm in the Barn (Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction)
By Matt Phelan
| Interest Level | Reading Level | Reading A-Z | ATOS | Word Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 4 - 8 | Grades 1 - 3 | U | 2.3 | 2260 |
Tall tale. Thriller. Gripping historical fiction. This artful, sparely told graphic novel — a tale of a boy in Dust Bowl America — will resonate with young readers today.
In Kansas in the year 1937, eleven-year-old Jack Clark faces his share of ordinary challenges: local bullies, his father’s failed expectations, a little sister with an eye for trouble. But he also has to deal with the effects of the Dust Bowl, including rising tensions in his small town and the spread of a shadowy illness. Certainly a case of "dust dementia" would explain who (or what) Jack has glimpsed in the Talbot’s abandoned barn — a sinister figure with a face like rain. In a land where it never rains, it’s hard to trust what you see with your own eyes — and harder still to take heart and be a hero when the time comes. With phenomenal pacing, sensitivity, and a sure command of suspense, Matt Phelan ushers us into a world where desperation is transformed by unexpected courage.
In Kansas in the year 1937, eleven-year-old Jack Clark faces his share of ordinary challenges: local bullies, his father’s failed expectations, a little sister with an eye for trouble. But he also has to deal with the effects of the Dust Bowl, including rising tensions in his small town and the spread of a shadowy illness. Certainly a case of "dust dementia" would explain who (or what) Jack has glimpsed in the Talbot’s abandoned barn — a sinister figure with a face like rain. In a land where it never rains, it’s hard to trust what you see with your own eyes — and harder still to take heart and be a hero when the time comes. With phenomenal pacing, sensitivity, and a sure command of suspense, Matt Phelan ushers us into a world where desperation is transformed by unexpected courage.
Publisher: Candlewick
ISBN-13: 9780763652906
ISBN-10: 0763652903
Published on 9/27/2011
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 208
