The kids absolutely love this series and this book was no exception. Action and adventure mixed into historical fiction. Highly recommend.

Ben and his mother and five-year-old brother Harry travel to Shogahama, Japan to stay with their father's uncle, Ojisan. Their father had died in a car accident in California, even though he had managed to stay safe while he was serving in the Air Force. Ben still misses his father, especially the times when the two would play basketball. When there is an earthquake, the family is shaken up, and decide to try to flee in their car when a giant wave is sighted. They don't get far before Ojisan, Harry, and Ben's mother are sucked out of the car. Ben manages to get out of the car (he was wearing his seat belt) by thinking of the training that his father had to do in case his plane went down in water. He finds a couch floating by, and rides on it for a while, and also finds Ojisan's cat! When he realizes that everything is being sucked back out to sea, Ben clings to a tree, and finds a shelter in a local school when it's safe to come down. The family doctor is there, and takes care of Ben's wounds and helps him stay hopeful while waiting for his family to be found.
Strengths: These are great books to help reluctant readers understand various historical disasters, and are fantastic for linking with nonfiction books for the Common Core. I especially liked that this was from the point of view of a US student, although it certainly detracts from the emotional impact of having one's home destroyed.
Weaknesses: Only available in paperback. I know some of these have come out in hardback, which hold up so much better in a school library.