Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere - Softcover

Lamana, Julie T.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1452128804 ISBN 13: 9781452128801

Publisher: Chronicle Books, 2015

Synopsis

Armani Curtis can think about only one thing: her tenth birthday. She's having a party, her mama is making a big cake, and she has a good feeling about a certain wrapped box. Turning ten years old is a big deal to Armani. It means she's older, wiser, more responsible. But when Hurricane Katrina hits the Lower Nines of New Orleans and tears her world apart, Armani realizes that being ten means being brave, watching loved ones die, and mustering all her strength to help her family weather the storm. A gripping story of courage and survival, Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere celebrates the power of hope and love in the face of the unthinkable.

About this title

About the Author

Julie T. Lamana lives in Greenwell Springs, Louisiana, and worked in an after-school program for children displaced by Hurricane Katrina, gaining a unique insight into their experiences surviving the storm. This book is a reflection of those experiences.

From School Library Journal

Gr 4–7—Ten-year-old Armani is crushed to learn that her long-anticipated birthday party will be cancelled due to Hurricane Katrina's imminent approach. Her disappointment quickly transforms into terror as the storm hits, separating her from her parents. She must look after her two younger sisters on a journey that takes her first to the Superdome, then to a shelter, and finally back home to the ravaged Lower Ninth Ward. This is a story that will grab avid and reluctant readers alike because of the intensity of its drama. The plot is well constructed, and the cliff-hanger endings of many chapters will ensure rapid page turning. Armani is a fully realized protagonist, and her narrative effectively conveys the novel's mood, offering a sense of foreboding that grows into palpable fear. A well-defined setting, with evocative descriptions of the neighborhood and storm, enhances the story. Lamana handles the gritty details and macabre imagery quite gracefully, and never does the account seem sensationalized. Toward the novel's end, occasional hiccups in flow mar the narrative. The portrayal of some events seems far-fetched and conveniently coincidental. Likewise, the conclusion, though satisfactorily resolved, comes about somewhat awkwardly. However, these flaws are not so grievous as to distract in a meaningful way from the story at hand. Overall, this novel gives readers a realistic and vivid sense of what it may have been like to experience the disaster firsthand.—Julie Hanson, Chicago Public Library

About this edition

• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1452128804
• ISBN 13: 9781452128801
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 328