This is novel is exactly what I'm looking for in Middle Grade

It's short, yet it tackles a few very hard topics and makes you think.

The main character is very smart, strong and passionate. The weather plays an important part in this book and I always love when books do that. And there's also a few good quotes on family and depression, so that was a very nice touch as well.

I am a sucker for weather disaster related stories and this one was no let down. Helicity's life seems like one big disaster she's trying to escape. After a tornado hits her town and her brother is badly injured, she gets an opportunity to escape when Lana the weather woman invites her along on a storm chasing adventure. I know some folks won;t think a 13 year old should go off like this, but years ago, we took off for weekends, even days during the summer, and I don't think our parents batted a lash. It was part of growing up. Besides she was with "responsible" adults, unlike her father (she gets him a beer???). I'm sure many children do that. We never had alcohol in our home when I was growing up, but I know of plenty of friends and even family, who had alcohol in their homes when their kids were young. To each his own. The story is exciting, has a good overall message, a terrific young woman, unforgettable characters. I think kids 5th grade up, even teens, will enjoy this story.

Very good book by Ginger Zee! I love that she is bring her passion for meteorology to middle grade students in this shirt, easy to read novel. Students will love this and will be very happy that it ends with a cliffhanger! Can't wait for the second installment.

Loved it! Such a great read! I enjoyed this story so much and hope Ginger Zee will write more books. I am excited to have my daughter read this when I can grab it in physical book form. This would be such a great book read have on a shelf.

Highly recommend for all ages. You will love it! :)

I have a couple of persistent complaints about this book.
1) There's not much detail. We get brief overviews of events and then they're almost brushed aside. The town is devastated by a tornado. We get a few scenes of the aftereffects and then everyone moves on.
2) Helicity is referred to as being from "West Michigan" rather than a specific town. Normally, I'm okay with this sort of vagueness but then we're told about her trip to Muskegon to ride the ferry. It is frustrating to get specificity in a minor detail but vagueness in the primary setting.
3)The plot is sort of arbitrary and cuts off suddenly. While this is clearly meant to leave events open for sequels, no part of the plot is resolved at the end of this book. Additionally, some of the over-arcing elements are obvious.

Man - this book was frustrating. I absolutely loved the first half - the tornado, the immediate after effect - very well done, good details and action. Then... things started moving too quickly and there were things that didn't get developed enough. First, a friendship and immediate offer to go storm chasing with Lana seemed implausible on the part of the parents. Then, there is definitely an issue with the brother that is hinted at but for the target audience I don't think they will get it. Then of course is the issue of a first book in a series and a major cliffhanging ending. I usually complain about books being too long but in this case it is too short. I would rather have seen this "series" put in one slightly longer book. I think my readers will be just as frustrated as I am even though the weather - tornado and flooding descriptions were great.

Chasing Helicity was a surprise for me. From the moment I started it, I didn't want to put it down. It was clear that Zee put her her own passion and interest into the story. The story was clearly written from a personal place. I loved the plot following Helicity's family through the twister event and aftermath. It was intriguing to see how each member of a family deals with tragedy differently, even while living under the same roof. How tragedy effects each person had me flipping pages faster and faster. I personally can't wait for Helicity #2!

​CHASING HELICITY is about the dangers a storm can have and that it shouldn't be underestimated. It also teaches about conquering your fear and that living through a storm doesn't make you a victim. It makes you a survivor. The only thing I wish would be different was for there to be more to the plot. It was a very simple and easy read, but there wasn't much depth.
Final Verdict: I would recommend this to fans of weather and to those children who dream of being a meteorologist. It shows what chasing storms is really like and that it isn't all fun and games. It has to be done safely and in numbers.
I recieved an ARC in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley

I have always been fascinated with weather and Ginger Zee, she has always been a class act, and seems so down to Earth, and this book showcases that beautifully. I am 30 years old and this book captivated me from the beginning to end. It was never to hard to understand and I hope kids will love it and their love for all this Earth will grow too!

ARC provided by publisher at ALA



Helicity's grandmother was a decorated physicist, and she got a name of a scientific phenomenon to honor her. (It was either that or Doris!) When a tornado hits her hometown during a party honoring her brother's football scholarship, Helicity's home is destroyed and her brother is injured. A meterologist, Lana McElvoy, comes to town asking if people have videos of the storm, which irritates people, since seven people from the town perished. Helicity sends a photo, and combined with her name, this interests Lana. Helicity loves science, but her grades are not quite good enough to get into honors science classes in high school, so she is very surprised when Lana asks her to join her storm team. Andy is having a difficult time recovering, although the family and town seem to recover fairly well. Helicity is glad to be a part of the team, and her adventures in storm chasing get off to a rousing start.

Strengths: This is a good length and moves quickly. I like the idea of the STEM connections, and tornado devastation is a timely topic.
Weaknesses: I had trouble believing that Helicity's parents would just send her off to travel with Lana, especially given their recent experiences.
What I really think: Storm books are a bit of a tough sell, even ones like Bishop's 14 Hollow Road which seemed like a much more informative book about dealing with the aftermath of a tornado. I had friends who lost their home in the 1980 Grand Island, Nebraska tornado, and it was quite traumatic! I was sure the brother was going to become addicted to opioids, which worried me, but he didn't. I will probably pass, especially since this is going to be a series.