Zane and the Hurricane by Rodman Philbrick **** (Realistic Fiction

Zane and the Hurricane by Rodman Philbrick is a fictional account of Hurricane Katrina and its devastation on New Orleans in 2005. The title character, Zane, gets stranded in the attic of his great-grandmother's house with his dog, waiting for help. Eventually they are both rescued by two people in a canoe and travel throughout the flooded neighborhoods.

I was too young to remember Hurricane Katrina, but had heard how devastating it was. This book really made me feel what it would be like to live through a hurricane and its aftermath. The chaos and confusion along with the force of nature made for a scary experience. I thought the author did a great job depicting the fear and anxiousness of the main character. 

I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to any middle school (or older) students, especially if they want to learn more about what it would be like to survive a hurricane.