The Storm in the Barn
The Storm in the Barn
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Candlewick Press
Annotation: Facing his share of ordinary challenges, from local bullies to his father's failed expectations, 11-year-old Jack Clark must also deal with the effects of the Dust Bowl in 1937 Kansas, including the rising tensions in his small town and the spread of a shadowy illness.
 
Reviews: 9
Catalog Number: #37434
Format: Perma-Bound from Publisher's Hardcover
Special Formats: Graphic Novel Graphic Novel
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Copyright Date: 2009
Edition Date: 2009 Release Date: 09/08/09
Pages: 201 pages
ISBN: Publisher: 0-7636-3618-5 Perma-Bound: 0-605-25648-9
ISBN 13: Publisher: 978-0-7636-3618-0 Perma-Bound: 978-0-605-25648-4
Dewey: Fic
LCCN: 2008938396
Dimensions: 23 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
Horn Book (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

Phelan's graphic novel brings 1937 drought-wracked Kansas to life, adding a supernatural twist. While exploring an abandoned barn, eleven-year-old Jack encounters a mysterious, threatening figure. Phelan's minimalist text complements masterful panel pacing. His stunning palette of sepias, dusty browns, and charcoal grays perfectly evokes the desolate landscapes of the Dust Bowl and makes the occasional pop of color that much more striking.

Starred Review ALA Booklist (Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Starred Review Ten-year-old Jack and his family suffer the hardships of Dust Bowl America, while a secret in the barn may alter their fortunes forever in this superb graphic-novel evocation of childhood's yearning and triumphs. Phelan (illustrator of the Higher Power of Lucky, 2006) turns every panel of this little masterpiece into a spare and melancholy window into another era, capturing an unmistakable sense of time and place found in James Sturm's Satchel Paige (2007) en as he takes full, masterful advantage of the medium's strengths by using fantasy elements to enrich the deep, genuine emotional content, much as Shaun Tan did in The Arrival (2008). All the more impressive is how he balances fleet pacing (thanks to low word density) with a thoughtful, contemplative homage to storytelling and storytellers, which, in the tradition of the greatest tall tales, presents an empowering message that all a child needs to change the world is courage and ingenuity. Great for a wide range of readers, this will work particularly well as a gentle introduction for those new to graphic novels or as an elegant argument on the format's behalf against dubious naysayers. A single warning: there is a restrained depiction of a rabbit slaughter, which could upset more sensitive readers.

Kirkus Reviews

Eleven-year-old Jack Clark feels useless on his family's Kansas farm. It's 1937: The rain went away when he was seven, so he's never been able to help out. His older sister Dorothy is sick with Dust Pneumonia, and little sister Mabel doesn't provide much companionship. Jack is the favorite target of the town bullies, but general-store owner Ernie tries to cheer Jack with traditional "Jack tales." Then the boy sees a mysterious flash in the Talbots' abandoned barn. When he investigates, he discovers a frightening apparition. Talking about it starts rumors he is suffering from Dust Dementia. Just when his family has given up hope, Jack, inspired by Ernie's stories, confronts the creature and fights a fantastic battle with miraculous results. Author/illustrator Phelan's first graphic tale is part historical mystery, part fantasy thriller. The pencil-and-watercolor panels are cinematically framed and often wordless, advancing the plot and delineating character with careful strokes. The bleakness of the Dust Bowl comes through in both the landscape and the hopeless faces of his characters. This is not to be missed. (Graphic fiction. 9-14)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Set during the 1930s, when Kansas farmers tried to survive during a terrible drought, this graphic novel for younger readers shows a boy discovering that he can save his family by bringing back the rain. Jack Clark is a shy 11-year-old whose father thinks he's useless at practical chores. The boy is not used to having any responsibilities, so when he sees a dark figure lurking in an abandoned barn near their house, he doesn't want to do anything about it. He'd rather chalk it up to “dust dementia,” until he realizes that the brooding shape <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">is the rain, which has withdrawn from the land so that people will yearn for it until they are willing to worship it as a god. What Jack does next won't surprise readers who've seen countless puny but plucky heroes in juvenile fiction. The big novelty here is the Dust Bowl setting, and Phelan's art emphasizes the swirling, billowing clouds of fine grit that obscure even nearby objects. Older readers might have appreciated more text to make up for the lack of visual clarity, but kids will identify with Jack and appreciate his success. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Sept.)

School Library Journal Starred Review (Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Gr 5-7 -It is 1937 in Kansas, during the Dust Bowl, and 11-year-old Jack can barely remember a world with plentiful water and crops. Unable to help his father with a harvest that isnt there, and bullied by the other boys his age, he feels like a useless baby. Stories offer a refuge, and there are multiple stories in this work. Jacks mother tells about the time when the land was a fertile paradise. Jacks invalid sister, Dorothy, is reading The Wizard of Oz , gaining inspiration from the adventures of another Kansan of the same name. Jacks friend comforts him with folktales about a brave man named Jack who masters nature, battling the King of the West Wind, the King of Blizzards, and the King of the Northeast Winds. In the end, Phelan turns the Dust Bowl into another one of Ernies Jack tales when the real Jack encounters the Storm King in an abandoned barn and finds out that he has been holding back the rain. The boy must then gather the strength to determine his own narrative, as well as his parched towns future. Children can read this as a work of historical fiction, a piece of folklore, a scary story, a graphic novel, or all four. Written with simple, direct language, its an almost wordless book: the illustrations shadowy grays and blurry lines eloquently depict the haze of the dust. A complex but accessible and fascinating book. Lisa Goldstein, Brooklyn Public Library, NY

Reviewing Agencies: - Find Other Reviewed Titles
Wilson's Children's Catalog
Starred Review Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Wilson's Junior High Catalog
Horn Book (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)
ALA Notable Book For Children
Starred Review ALA Booklist (Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)
Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)
School Library Journal Starred Review (Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)
Word Count: 2,260
Reading Level: 2.3
Interest Level: 4-7
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 2.3 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 134356 / grade: Middle Grades
Reading Counts!: reading level:3.4 / points:3.0 / quiz:Q48682
Lexile: GN560L
Guided Reading Level: U
Fountas & Pinnell: U

Tall tale. Thriller. Gripping historical fiction. This artful, sparely told graphic novel — a tale of a boy in Dust Bowl America — will resonate with young readers today. (Age 10 and up)

In Kansas in the year 1937, eleven-year-old Jack Clark faces his share of ordinary challenges: local bullies, his father’s failed expectations, a little sister with an eye for trouble. But he also has to deal with the effects of the Dust Bowl, including rising tensions in his small town and the spread of a shadowy illness. Certainly a case of "dust dementia" would explain who (or what) Jack has glimpsed in the Talbot’s abandoned barn — a sinister figure with a face like rain. In a land where it never rains, it’s hard to trust what you see with your own eyes — and harder still to take heart and be a hero when the time comes. With phenomenal pacing, sensitivity, and a sure command of suspense, Matt Phelan ushers us into a world where desperation is transformed by unexpected courage.


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