Zane and the Hurricane

Reader’s Review

This book, written by an award-winning author, takes a very difficult topic – the aftermath of hurricane Katrina – and creates a captivating story that children and teenagers will understand. On a visit to New Orleans, Zane finds himself in the midst of one of the worse disasters in US history. He and his dog are alone at home when the waters begin to rise, beginning a series of events that take the two of them through the horrific consequences of the storm. Without being overly gory, the author is able to write a children’s book that contains themes of heroism, survival, kindness as well as the darker side of America – economic and racial disparity, and government negligence of the poor. There are some disturbing scenes, all based on accounts from actual survivals of the storm.

To look out for

• Islamic Values: Zane becomes good friends with an 11-year old girl who is being chased by a local drug dealer. Her mother is in rehab from drug abuse.
• Violence: There are some harrowing descriptions of the three main characters paddling a canoe through muddy waters as garbage, broken homes, snakes and dead bodies float by. A girl is almost kidnapped by a drug dealer. Local police wave guns at people looking for food. A security guard puts a gun to Zane’s face. His dog is shot by the police.
• Language: There is frequent mention of the smell of garbage, pee and poo, and the lack of sanitation at the Superdome. On one occasion, when Zane realizes he has made a huge mistake, he says to himself “Nice going you moron, you crud bucket, you dumb-butt dipstick doodlebrain”.