Hurricane Force: In the Path of America's Deadliest Storms (New York Times)
Starred Review.Grade 4-8–Using books and other resources listed in his source notes, personal experiences growing up in South Florida and as a reporter for theNew York Times, and material garnered from the newspaper, Treaster has created a serious scientific and socioeconomic look at one of nature's deadliest forces. From the tragic Galveston storm of 1900 to Katrina and Rita in 2005, he investigates the weather factors necessary to spawn these meteorological monsters, how scientists define their possible paths and potential power, and the drastic effects and aftermaths when they impact coastal areas. His follow-up includes precautions for the future (building more hurricane-proof housing) and a time line for Katrina. Sidebars touch on such topics as global warming and the disaster of the use of the Superdome as a hurricane shelter. For visual stimulation there are a number of colorful maps and diagrams, and photos aplenty (mostly in color). While the focal point is Hurricane Katrina and the lessons to be learned from it, the book contains other valuable data on fierce storms and the social upheaval engendered by them. If you already own such well-researched and attractive titles as Patricia Lauber'sHurricanes(Scholastic, 1996) and/or Seymour Simon'sHurricanes(HarperCollins, 2003), you might think you could do without this. Think again.–Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NYCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.