Treaster, J.B. (2007). Hurricane force: In the path of America’s deadliest storms. Boston:
Kingfisher.
For this week’s
non-fiction/informational book, I read Hurricane
Force, which is an informational chapter book all about hurricanes. This book is divided into chapters that tell
everything from the history of hurricane hunting, the definitions of what makes
a hurricane, how people prepare for hurricanes, and multiple stories from
various hurricanes throughout the last hundred years. One of the things the writer focuses on is
Hurricane Katrina, since he was there during the storm. These personal stories are great at painting
a picture of what is going on during the storm.
I loved all the anecdotes about the different hurricanes of the past
because it made hurricanes a real thing, not just a scientific phenomenon.
This book had an interesting
structure to it. There was lots of
description. Characteristics of
hurricanes were included. One thing I
liked was learning that hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons are all the same
thing; it depends where you are in the world for what they are called. There was also a structure of cause and
effect. Hurricanes were described, but
the aftermath of the storms was given equal importance. I also think there is problem and solution
included in the structure of Hurricane
Force. This book answers questions
like “how do you take shelter during a storm?,” “how do you make a hurricane-proof
house?,” and “what do you do in the aftermath of a storm?”
When evaluating this book, I
used the Evaluation and Selection criteria in our textbook. This book met a lot of the criteria. This book is written in clear and direct
style. However, some of the sections are
lengthy, and some students may not like reading all that information at
once. If using this in my class, I would
probably select a few sections that I found most interesting for my students to
read. Students who are interested in
this topic can continue reading the rest on their own. The facts are very accurate and, since it was
published in 2007, pretty current. Some
of the information, like the word “hurricane” coming from the Mayan god
Hurakan, I have read before in other texts.
This is a New York Times book,
which adds to its credibility. This book
is beautifully illustrated with photographs from numerous hurricanes. If there is not a photo on every page, then
there is one on every spread. Each comes
with a caption that tells what the photo is of, where it was taken, and usually
the year (especially if of hurricane damage or radar pictures). You could spend an hour just looking at the
photographs and reading the captions, and would get a ton of information about
hurricanes. Lastly, this book included a
ton of reference aids. There is a table
of contents at the beginning and an index at the end. There is a resource list with further
readings, which would be really useful in suggesting other books for students
to read on the subject. There are all
kinds of maps, charts, and tables throughout the book. The maps show just how large a hurricane is,
which makes them even more dramatic.
Another feature this book has is a timeline of Hurricane Katrina. I feel that Hurricane Force is a great example of informational
literature.
A writing activity I would do
with my students while reading this book is to have them choose one of the photographs
and write a story based on that photograph.
They could write a creative story, or could write a piece on how they
would feel if they had been there when that photograph was taken. The type of writing would depend on which
photograph they chose.
BIG QUESTIONS: How would you
feel if a hurricane destroyed your home?
If you lived in the path of a hurricane, would you evacuate or ride out
the storm?
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