Setting his novel in Honduras in 1998, Trueman recounts the disastrous impact of Hurricane Mitch e worst storm in the Caribbean in 200 years one small village. The author's protagonist is 13-year-old José, who must become the man of his family when his father and older brother go missing in the storm. "It's up to me now," he thinks. "I know what I have to do, and I can will somehow do it." But it's not easy. Devastation and dead bodies are everywhere. Food and drinking water are scarce, and José's home, one of only two surviving buildings, has become a de facto shelter. But memories of his admired older brother provide emotional resources he didn't know he had, and they enable him to assume a leadership role not only in his family but also in the village. Trueman's straightforward but heartfelt account is sobering, and inviting comparisons with Hurricane Katrina, it will be a catalyst for discussion and classroom study.

Ingrid's grandfather is the prime suspect in a murder, but the curmudgeonly WWII hero refuses to provide an alibi. In between rehearsals for Hansel and Gretel, thirteen-year-old Ingrid does some investigating of her own. Abrahams expands on subplots introduced in earlier books (e.g., Ingrid's friendship/relationship with Joey; her dad's extramarital affair), but this book's mystery isn't nearly as engaging.

Trueman strains credulity in his fictional recounting of the devastation wrought upon Honduras by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. The first-person narrator is 13-year-old Jose Cruz whose family lives in a typically small but close-knit village. One very rainy day his older sister, father and much-idolized older brother make the 17-mile drive to the main business area. As the storm worsens, Jose and the rest of the family hear the radio announcement that the storm is now a Category 5 hurricane. While Jose and Mama pretend their missing family members are fine, a mudslide obliterates every house in the village—except the Cruz's and one other one. Many friends have died. Jose and others organize the many necessary and gruesome tasks for continuing survival. Still, Jose's younger brother nearly dies from an infection due to conditions. After five days of uncertainty, Trueman reunites every member of the Cruz family, including the family dog, to survive—thus, ending things quite tidily. Reluctant readers may enjoy the plot-driven story of continual peril, but it probably won't leave any lasting impression. (Fiction. 8-11)

Set in a tiny village in Honduras, Trueman’s (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Stuck in Neutral) novel is based on Hurricane Mitch and the devastation it wrought in 1998, and informed by the author’s experiences teaching in San Pedro Sula in 1981–1982. Trueman explains in an endnote that Mitch was the worst storm to hit the Caribbean in 200 years: as the 13-year-old narrator, José, experiences it, Mitch is cataclysmic. Striking while José’s father, older brother and sister are out on the road, the calamitous weather induces a mudslide that destroys all but two of the houses in the village and buries most of the residents. It falls to José to conquer his fear and be the man of the house. Trueman doesn’t flinch from the grislier facts (in one scene, José leads a dig for groceries and finds the corpse of the grocer), but although he describes José’s thoughts and reactions he stints on the sensory details. Accordingly, readers will understand the impact of the storm, while the style and the almost miraculous happy ending may insulate them from feeling too much of it for themselves. An addendum links this novel (first published in a different form in the U.K. in 2003) with the events surrounding Hurricane Katrina. Ages 10-up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Mar.)

Gr 5-8-Thirteen-year-old Josi loves soccer, his family, and his small village in Honduras. In 1998, when Hurricane Mitch hits, his beloved dog runs off and his father, older brother, and sister are away from home. Josi struggles to remain strong for his younger brother and sisters and helps his mother deal with water pouring in through their roof. As soon as the rain and wind subside, he ventures out to discover that nearly every house in their close-knit community has been completely destroyed by a mudslide. With 33 of the 56 residents dead and his father, brother, and sister missing, the teen finds himself acting as man of the house and a leader in his ravaged village. Narrated by Josi, the story is tragic and suspenseful without being sensationalized. The boy's inner struggle is well developed as he fights to do what must be done. Ultimately, he rises to the challenge, digging up dead bodies, finding food, and seeking medical help for his sick younger brother. Josi is an admirable character, and his story moves along at a quick pace that will sustain the attention of even reluctant readers.-Melinda Piehler, Sawgrass Elementary School, Sunrise, FL Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

Thirteen-year-old Jose lives with his family in Honduras. A hurricane hits, causing the recently clear-cut hillside adjacent to his village to become a mudslide that smothers and kills most of its fifty inhabitants. Jose's father, elder brother, and elder sister are away, so Jose looks after his mother and two younger siblings while little by little, the surviving residents of the village find their way to his house and work together to find food and water, dig out the bodies of their neighbors, and contact the outside world. Unaccustomed to holding any position of responsibility, Jose quickly takes charge and becomes a resourceful member of his ailing community. This survival tale is concise but engaging. Trueman's descriptions of the village buried in mud and of the difficulties it creates for the survivors are vivid. Jose's first-person narrative lets the reader in on his emotions as he works through the disaster, remembering his now-dead neighbors, worrying about his absent family members and his dog, and carrying on through exhaustion. His intellect also serves him well: As the brainy child in his family, Jose attends a special international school, and his knowledge of English allows him to communicate with the international aid workers when they arrive. Leisure readers will enjoy this exciting novel, and teachers also will find it useful in the classroom.-Jenny Ingram.