The Storm Makers by Jennifer E. Smith is the kind of book that I enjoyed as a girl (at least it’s what stands in the mythical memory of my girlhood). It has a sort of magic yet in a realistic setting, features interesting characters — in this case twin siblings Ruby and Simon, who experience some sort of obstacle or change. The change in this case is that they’ve recently moved from the city to farming country and the obstacle is that Simon has mysterious powers to control or create weather. They first manifest in the form of a horrible crop-damaging storm.
He then learns he’s one of a secret society of storm makers. What’s more, he’s the youngest storm maker in history, which has grabbed the attention of the evil head Storm Maker, as well as those who have separated from the group due to his leadership. They both want to use Simon to their advantage.
I loved the dynamic between Ruby and Simon, who care for each other, but at 12 years old have lost some of their closeness as they are growing into adolescence. Their parents are mostly absent, which is one of those magical elements of middle grade fiction. It lets the children shine on their own even as they do unacceptable things such as take a day trip alone and without their parents knowledge. But I am smart enough to realize that this is one of those “magical” things about fiction, and I suspend my disbelief. I believe that young readers are smart enough to make this distinction as well.
The minor character of their father is still a strong one. He’s warm and a bit eccentric, as are most people who quit their normal jobs and move to a farm so they can work full-time on their energy harness invention, and it’s obvious he loves his family.
I thought the scientific aspect of the weather storyline might appeal to my 8-year-old son Kyle, but though the typeset is fairly big and there are full-page pictures on at least one page in each chapter, it’s still a large-sized hardcover book weighing in at 385 pages. I think that the storyline and the reading level are fine for most 8 – 12 year old readers, and I’m going to keep this around to see if he might be willing to take a second look later this year.
There were elements of this that reminded me of Harry Potter — the camaraderie of the storm makers, the plotting of good vs. evil, young children learning to use their powers. There are a few mature elements in this one (the evil storm maker has caused some major disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, and the devastating effects and loss of life are discussed. However, The Storm Makers lacks the intensity of the Harry Potter books as well as the always fast-moving plot, but I think it makes it more appropriate for those on the lower end of the middle grade reading age group.
Jennifer Donovan is well-acquainted with storms, having endured a very stormy Gulf Coast summer at her home in Houston this year. She blogs at Snapshot (sort of).
Sounds interesting. I think the spectrum of books that JAM enjoys is pretty wide– I’ll have to tell him to look for this one at the library.
I’ve noticed that he doesn’t seem to shy away from more character-driven emotional books, and I love that! I actually think that Kyle will get there as well. Amanda likes some, but she will shy away from something that she thinks is more serious.
This is sort of an aside — because this book isn’t overly dramatic or serious — but it isn’t 100% action-packed either. It’s just a nice good old-fashioned story.