Hurricane Song

Miles has been living in Chicago with his mother and has recently moved to New Orleans to live with his father. His father left the family years ago to play jazz music. Miles knows that his father's life is his music, but when his mother remarried and the family in Chicago increased by three kids, he knew he had no choice. Taking a chance on his father seemed like the only way to go. So far, the two months father and son have spent together haven't been all that great. Miles is looking forward to playing football and maybe even making the varsity team at his new school. Unfortunately, he knows he probably won't see his dad at any of his games. His dad can't even remember that it's football Miles plays and not basketball. When news that a huge hurricane is heading toward New Orleans reaches them, Miles, his father, and his uncle pile into the car with the idea of heading toward Baton Rouge and higher ground. The traffic is terrible, and the car soon overheats, leaving them stranded on the highway. As the storm gets closer, their only option is to follow the rest of the evacuees to the shelter at the Superdome. In the several days Miles and his family spend at the Superdome, the storm batters the exterior of the massive building while the interior suffers from a "storm" of its own. When tired, frightened people are crowded into a facility not equipped to handle the situation, there are bound to be problems. In those few days, Miles experiences horribly unsanitary conditions, watches as thugs threaten, beat, and steal from innocent people, and sees death and suffering no person should ever have to witness. Most of us watched the drama of Katrina unfold on our TVs, but Miles's experience brings us the reality of the actual storm and those first days afterward. Sadly, many are still suffering and trying to recover years later. Everyone should read this book as a reminder that our country reacted poorly in the early stages of the disaster, and even at this late date, not enough has been done to help rebuild the lives of so many. Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

The Hurricane Song by Paul Volponi.Hurricane Song is a novel about a boy and his father and the hell they went through during Hurricane Katrina. The author was eerily accurate and had to have researched well because this story, while a work of fiction, could very well be true.

Once again Mr. Volponi creates a fast paced story that will engage readers. Miles cannot stand living with his mother and his new stepfather. The apartment is too cramped, there are too many kids, and Miles has to escape. His mother finally allows him to move in with his father, a man he hasn't seen for most of his life. Miles is only in New Orleans for a few days when Hurricane Katrina hits. The reader is given a vivid and often painful narrative of what life was like in the Superdome. We see these events through Miles' eyes. He is a frightened, confused young man who struggles to understand the inhumanity that is taking place around him. As always, Mr. Volponi does not shrink away from uncomfortable situations and paints a very realistic vision of what happened during those horrible days inside and outside the Superdome. This is a very powerful book about a sad chapter in our country's history.

Hurricane Song vividly drops you in the eye of the chaos that followed-- the nightmarish days and nights we all heard about inside the Superdome. 17-year-old Miles is sent to live with his Jazz musician father in N.O. He has been estranged from his father for most of his life but Miles is yearning to connect with the old man. Unfortunately, Katrina bears down on them a few days after he gets there and they find themselves stranded trying to escape the city. They end up at the Superdome and what follows is all the more harrowing because we know it's based on facts. Volponi puts you right into the stiffling heat and Lord of the Flies madness that took over the city. Like New Orleans, their relationship is severely tested, falls apart but somehow rises from the ashes like the music that beats in the heart of the city. This is a vivid, compelling read, ripe for any teen, but especially for boys. A must read and a true experience that needs to be remembered. Check it out!

Like the review from VOYA says--It's either the best YA novel of 2008 or the most important. An Incredible look at a teen and his jazz musician dad surviving Katrina and the Superdome. Powerful and important.