Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

Wow - this was such a fast paced and emotional book. Definitely high interest while remaining a good fit for reluctant or struggling readers. I didn't expect for it to be so emotional but it was very real. Well worth the read.

I enjoyed this short young adults story. It was quite a bit of emotional. It was about how a 16 year-old boy that deals with the aftermath of a tornado.

I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. This is my honest unbiased opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick, action packed read about what happens when a tornado destroys a small town. I loved the movie Twister when I was a kid, weird I know. I was hoping this would remind me of that, but it didn't live up to my hopes.

The story starts and you are almost instantly thrown into the action. I feel like I didn't have time to get to know any characters or develop feelings for them. I didn't really care what happened to them.

Clocking in at just 112 pages, Tornado was a super quick read if you want something to read in one sitting!

Living in an area that is prone to tornadoes I was very interested in this story. Children that live in tornado prone areas would probably benefit from reading this story. Reluctant readers, especially boys would enjoy this story because of the fast action. The story follows Cam and his family a little before the storm and then after the storm and how they handle the fall out from the storm. We never know how we will react to an emergency until we are put in that situation. Cam is off having fun with his friends with then tornado strikes. He was suppose to meet his brother at the bus stop but of course he can't make it. He loses a couple of his friends in the storm, but his immediate issue is finding his brother. Their house is gone and so is Peter. Cam's dad says some things to him that later he wishes he could take back. Will he find Peter and can this family be saved? Will Cam ever forgive himself for the loss of his friends?

At first I was excited to devour this book, as I’ve long been interested in disaster-type fiction and had yet to encounter a story that centered around a tornado. I’m sad to say this one failed to deliver.

The basic plot is that the power goes out at the local high school so the kids are sent home early. The character we’re following decides to go for burgers with his friends before heading home, but on the way home the weather picks up very suddenly—as tornados are wont to do. The group gets into a disastrous accident and the character we’re following finds his way home to search for the younger brother he was supposed to meet at the bus stop. He lies to everyone about where he went and what he was doing, but the truth eventually comes out and his parents are angry. They all keep searching for his brother. Without telling you how it ends, that’s basically the entire story.

I really struggled to get into the story. If the book wasn’t so short, I probably wouldn’t have bothered finishing it. The plot and characters were far too simplistic for my taste, even for a middle grade book, and I didn’t feel invested in the protagonist. His troubled relationship with his parents makes no sense, it’s not clear to me why they don’t like his friends, his dad’s angry outburst near the end adds absolutely nothing to the story and feels bizarrely random.

The characters feel entirely one-dimensional, and some of the writing is illogical. For instance, after emerging from the accident, how can the kid go from realizing he has broken fingers to then balling his fists? I don’t know much about broken fingers, but even if the adrenaline coursing through his body made him impervious to the pain, he had to be aware that his broken fingers were unable “ball” into a fist as the author described. It might seem nitpicky, and I’m sorry if I’m ruining it for anyone who liked the book, but little details like that are what draw you in and make it believable.

Even if the accident caused a traumatic brain injury, the author didn’t make any effort to connect the kid's nonsensical behaviour and constant lying to such an injury. That would be the only explanation that makes sense to me, yet it was never explained as anything more than, “I didn’t want you to get mad at me".

I keep getting the impression that the story is based on true events, as if the author knows the story so well through personal experience that they forgot to provide sufficient context for the reader to follow along.

There’s probably an audience out there for this, maybe a young reluctant reader who wants quick action and isn’t concerned with other elements. In spite of my initial excitement, that audience isn’t me.

Anyone that enjoys a good natural disaster or survival story would appreciate Tornado. My fourth graders love reading everything having to do with earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, tornadoes. etc. and I would share this book with them if it wasn't for the more mature subplots. I like how fast paced this book was and I could picture the events playing out in a movie. I was surprised by the graphic content as the author did not shy away from the often violent and morbid details surrounding a disaster of this magnitude. This book reveals the lasting impact and affect a natural disaster has on individuals and a community. A quick and fast read for a reluctant teen reader.

Wow this book was a really sad read.. Alot of sad stuff happened in this book it was a short read but i really enjoyed how much of a thriller this book was its so sad at how life changes when tragedy strikes someone.

Thank you net galley for this arc

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Tornado in exchange for an honest review.

Tornado is part of Orca Sounding's line of high interest, low difficulty books targeted at teen readers who want to read books targeted at them but for whatever reason, need those stories at a slightly lower reading level.

Tornado is a survival story following our protagonist Cam after he and his friends decide to go get burgers after leaving school early only to get hit by a tornado. Because of the last minute burger trip, Cam was not home to pick up his 6 year old brother Peter from his bus stop and returns home to find Peter missing.

This was fast paced and holds your interest from beginning to end, my only issue was that Cam is written to be a very flawed character to the point of it being difficult to connect to him and his plights. I'm glad he wasn't made perfect, but since its so fast paced we never really get to spend time getting to know his strengths and it makes his weaknesses seem a lot worse.

A huge thank you for the ARC. I posted my review on goodreads abs librarything. After publication I’ll post on the retail sites.
My review...


The power to the high school suddenly goes out so the students are sent home early. We later learn the school is decimated by the tornado. 16-year-old Cam heads to a burger place with his friends.
He is keenly aware that he has to be back in time to get his 6-year-old brother, Peter, from the bus. But Cam never dreamed that a powerful tornado would touch down, making that impossible. The tornado flips the car he’s in, killing outright two passengers and leaving the third, Chrissy, seriously injured. Cam is in shock and pretty seriously injured himself. The only thing on his mind though, is getting through to get Peter, hoping it’s not too late. Cam gets a ride back to town with a truck driver. He soon learns that the bus dropped Peter off before the tornado struck, Cam finds his own home nearly destroyed. Knowing his father’s rage, Cam lies to him about where he’s been. Very quickly he’s caught in the lie and his furious dad lashes out angrily while his alcoholic mother seems unable to understand the full situation. Cam needing medical attention himself goes off on his own desperately searching for his little brother.

Presented in simple text, this is a fast-paced, suspenseful tale... perfect for reluctant readers. I’ve never experienced a tornado, but the after math described here is detailed and realistic,

This is a satisfying and quick read.

Full of action and brief enough to entice even the most unwilling readers.
I’d like to see a series here... earthquake, blizzard, meteorite , pandemic. Oh dear, forget the last one.



Josephine Sorrell