"Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

I chose to review this book because it is included on the 3rd-5th grade list for the 2011-12 Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB).

Earthquake Terror
Author: Peg Kehret
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9-12 years

SUMMARY
Jonathan Palmer is camping on Magpie Island with his parents and younger sister, Abby. When Jonathan's mom unexpectedly breaks her ankle, his parents leave to rush her to the hospital on the mainland. While Jonathan and Abby are on the island alone, a devastating earthquake hits. Their camper is smashed. The bridge connecting the island to the mainland is destroyed. They are all alone. Then, to make matters worse, Jonathan discovers that the island is quickly flooding. The children begin a struggle for survival that will use up every last ounce of courage and strength that they have.

CRITIQUE
This book would certainly be suspenseful for a young reader, as one disaster after another occurs to the Palmer children. However, as an adult, it was difficult to look past the unrealistic circumstances of the novel. In my opinion, books such as Island of the Blue Dolphins, My Side of the Mountain, or Julie of the Wolves are much more compelling tales of survival.

Another aspect of this book that made it very difficult to enjoy is the character of Jonathan's sister, Abby. She is incredibly annoying as she whines her way through the entire novel. If the author hadn't told us she was six years old, one would have to assume she is a three-year-old whose favorite song is "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and favorite book is "Go Dog Go".

The bottom line is that if you are looking for an adventure/survival story, there are much better books out there.

RATINGS
Disrespectful/Bad Attitude: None
Frightening/Suspenseful: Heavy
Profanity: None
Sex: None
Substance Use: None
Mature Themes: None
Violence: None

SPECIFIC CONTENT
Frightening/Suspenseful:
-Children are left behind at a campground when Mrs. Palmer breaks her ankle and goes to the doctor.
-Jonathan thinks they are being shot at, then bombed, then finally realizes it is an earthquake.
-A giant redwood tree nearly falls on Jonathan.
-Jonathan finds the bridge snapped in two and realizes that a fast rescue will be impossible.
-The island quickly begins to flood and the children have to hang on to tree trunks.
-Jonathan and Abby get separated in the river.
-While swimming in the river, Jonathan gets hit in the head by a floating tree stump and is knocked unconscious. Moose, his dog, fights to save him by repeatedly pushing him up out of the water for air.
-Abby has to crawl through the water toward shore. Then she barely misses being seen by the rescue helicopter.