+ +, + + + Runaway Storm
Author:  D. E. Knobbe
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 223 pages
Publisher: Emerald Book Company (January 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1934572357
ISBN-13: 978-1934572351

Book description: Nate stole the kayak . . . sort of. His parents don’t know where he is, and that’s just fine with him. He’s made it to the chain of sparsely populated islands off the coast of Vancouver, his kayaking dream come true. So what could possibly go wrong?

For starters, he hadn’t counted on real runaways making him feel like a fraud or on the cops chasing him into a wild and deadly storm. Nate hadn’t planned to shipwreck on a deserted island either, or to have a run-in with a crazed drug smuggler, who drifted into the bay on a crippled Sailboat, ready to protect his stash with a loaded gun.

Should Nate save himself or the Goth girl from Seattle who tried to rescue him? Between being chased by criminals, shot at, and almost drowned, their options aren’t looking good.

Book Reviews: The story has a slow beginning, but the pace picks up as you read along.  Runaway storm is realistic with some far-fetched ideas that the author blends well together.  The ending makes the story worth reading.  – N.C., 15 yrs old.

The book is interesting with believable and fantastical elements.  It has a nice pace and is a worthwhile book for reading at school.  – R.C., 15 yrs old.

Here’s the breakdown:

Hook / Setting: The opening is slow, but the setting is interesting featuring many places such as: the Canadian Islands and American Islands.  The setting was always very well described and places the reader right in the story. – N.C., 15 yrs old.

The opening is mediocre and the setting is well-established. – R.C., 15 yrs old.

Character(s): Nate, the main character, is hard to relate to because he gets angry a lot, sometimes whiney.  David, on the other hand, who cares for his own younger brother and others is more interesting.  I can relate and appreciate David because he puts Nate in his place when he gets out of hand.  Nate becomes more interesting as the plot becomes more complicated.- N.C., 15 yrs old.

Nate is believable and the characters he meets are interesting.  I like that he meets people in the wilderness instead of simply being alone. – R.C., 15 yrs old.

Events / Plot: The plot makes sense and moves at a quicker pace once the characters are introduced and established.  What I like most about the plot is that it has a bit of suspense in it and you don’t know just what will happen until it does. – N.C., 15 yrs old.

This is a likeable survival story, not like the fantsay and science fiction I usually read, but the situations Nate gets into are believable and you can get into it. – R.C., 15 yrs old.

Reader Excitability / Overall Presentation: The overall idea isn’t very unique.  I wouldn’t recommend this book to friends. – N.C., 15 yrs old.

I would recommend Runaway Storm as a casual book to read–in school for Silent Reading–and also for those that like survival stories. – R.C., 15 yrs old.