Death Wind

Deborah Dowson is a Canadian children’s librarian living in Powell,
Ohio.

Allie’s life is a mess. Her parents are continually fighting, she has
plummeted to the bottom of her class, and, even worse, she fears she is
pregnant. She just wants to escape from it all, and an offer to travel
with her old friend Razz on his skateboarding tour is just what she
needs. Razz is an exceptional skater and an exceptional friend, but he
has a rival who uses fear tactics to upset him and intimidate Allie. But
Razz stays cool. He even rescues his rival when he is stranded by the
road. Together they drive straight into the path of a tornado and
witness firsthand its terrible destruction. Allie finds that her home
has been destroyed, but her work at the emergency centre keeps her from
worrying about her parents. When at last they are found, she is able to
tell them everything, and they are united in their desire to rebuild
their lives.

This is an excellent addition to the Orca Soundings series of books
that are written with the reluctant teen reader in mind. The novel is
based on the Barrie Tornado of 1985. The plot is very dramatic, with
intense personal conflict that parallels the violent nature of the
storm. The skateboarding scenes and Razz’s character help balance the
serious subject of the book. The message is clear: we can’t change the
storms of life, but we can choose how we respond to them. Recommended.