Storm-Blast

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University. She is the author of several books, including The
Mountain Is Moving: Japanese Women’s Lives, Kurlek and Margaret
Laurence: The Long Journey Home.

Eleven-year-old Regan and his older sister, Carol, are excited. Their
parents, together with their cousin Matt and his family, have decided to
rent a yacht for a sailing holiday in the Caribbean. Regan’s friend
Anthony, who comes from the Grenadines, is looking forward to seeing
them there.

On board the yacht, tales of sharks and of boats blown out to sea make
Regan distinctly uneasy, especially when the motor stalls. A library
book about survival at sea that has terrifying photographs gets Regan
started on learning about sailing. The learning curve continues during
Regan’s first week in the Grenadines. The power of the surf and the
size of the waves intimidate him. He wishes he were brave.

One day when Regan, Carol, and Anthony are out on their own, a tropical
storm hits with incredible speed, and their motor refuses to start. They
are disastrously blown out to sea, where only the weight of the water
that the dingy has already shipped prevents them from capsizing. They
survive the storm, but end up adrift at sea with no food and only a
single jug of drinking water. Their ordeal begins.

This powerful, realistic tale of trial by storm and of self-discovery
will have readers flipping pages to make sure that the youngsters are
rescued—as of course they are. (Regan manages to swim to a small
island, climb a steep cliff despite his fear of heights, and hoist his
red swim trunks as a signal for the search vessel.) The teens return to
a heroes’ welcome.

Well-planned and well-written, Storm-Blast is highly recommended.