Fourth Grade Journey

A Fourth Grade Teacher's Journey Through the World of Books

Saturday, August 17, 2019

The Tornado by Jake Burt

How I Heard About It:   Another title that came to me via my #bookexpedition reading group on Twitter.  I had read Jake's first two novels and enjoyed them so I was excited to open the cover of his third novel and start READING!  


What It Is About - FIVE Things You Need to Know:  
1.  *Bell is the boy in school that has to come up with "ways" to avoid a certain student at school.

2.  *Parker is the boy that Bell wants to desperately stay away from.


3.  *Daelynn is the new girl at school that thinks Bell would be a great friend to have, but could be at the cost of being Parker's next victim.  

4.  *As Parker shifts his attention from Bell to Daelynn, Bell realizes he may have made it out of a bad situation, alive and well.  

5.  *While he is caught between relief and guilt, Bell reaches out to his parents, friends, and mostly deep inside himself, to do the RIGHT thing.  


What I Thought Of It - Five Observations/Reflections:
1.  *I just finished this middle-grade novel late last night and I think it may be my favorite story of Jake's three novels.  

2.  *As much as the story involves a "bully storyline", the events unfolded quite differently from other bully stories.  The plot was fresh, face-paced, and engaging.  

3.  *Bell was a character I won't soon forget.  He was unique, thoughtful, smart, and had a heart of gold.  

4.  *I'm a reader that loves "life-lessons" woven throughout a story and this book did not disappointment.  So many deep and meaningful discussions could come from the pages.  

5.  *Jake did a tremendous job of bringing to life two incredible parents that supported their son in the most awesome ways.  He presented each parent in two separate ways and it worked so well.


Who Should Read It:    This is an important story that should be shared in grades three, four, five, and six.  I think it could make for a wonderful class read aloud because of all the conversations that would most likely stem from the story.  Middle-school readers would also be the perfect audience for Jake Burt's newest novel.  The book will enter the world in October of 2019.  Happy Reading!  


Rating:   4 STARS out of 5 Stars!




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