The Storm in the Barn by Matt Phelan
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Dec.11, 2011, under Bullying, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Historical Fiction, ORCA, Sam's Reviews, Thriller
Who would like this book? Fans of graphic novels, historical fiction, and/or people interested in the Dust Bowl.
Why? Eleven-year-old Jack Clark has a multitude of problems in his life amidst the Dust Bowl of Kansas in 1937: his father seems to blame their failed crops on him, making him feel useless; the school bullies target him; and his beloved little sister is sick with a mysterious dust-borne illness. Through striking illustrations and spare text, this graphic novel follows Jack as he is drawn to the neighbor’s abandoned barn. In the barn, Jack is astounded as he is faced with a sinister monster that seems to have something to do with the rain that will not fall. Is this monster a hallucination, a result of the “dust dementia”? Or is it a force that he must encounter to loose the rain? This thriller of a story gives a spine-tingling twist to this era of history. It’s an excellent example of the power of a graphic novel and won the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction.
The details: 208 pp. (mostly illustrations); 2009 Review by Samrarian
