The Surge (Storm Runners Series #2)

by Roland Smith

Overview

Master of middle-grade adventure Roland Smith returns with a second installment in this fast-paced action series.

NARRATOR: Ramon de Ocampo
FORMAT: 3 CDs, Unabridged

Chase and his friends Nicole and Rashawn have just survived Hurricane Emily, the storm of the century, but their troubles are just beginning. Though they've made it to the safety of Nicole's family's farm -- the winter home of the Rossi Brothers Circus -- the flood waters are rising and they need to reach higher ground. The circus's lions have escaped their cages, and a mean and unpredicable jaguar is also on the loose. And then, of course, there's the problem of the wildlife preserve next door! Have Chase and his friends lived through a terrifying night only to face a new danger?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545354035
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	09/01/2011
Series:	Storm Runners Series , #2
Edition description:	Library Edition
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 6.90(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Roland Smith first worked with animals at the Portland Zoo, and he has been involved in animal rescues and conservation work around the world for more than twenty years. He is the author of Jack's Run, Zach's Lie, Cryptid Hunters, Peak, and most recently Tentacles, his Scholastic debut. He is also the co-author of numerous picture books with his wife, Marie. Roland lives with Marie on a farm south of Portland, Oregon, and he enjoys writing, traveling, and visiting schools. You can find him online at www.rolandsmith.com.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 5–8—Roland Smith's second book (Scholastic, 2011) in the series picks up just as Chase, Nicole, and Rashawn have made it back to the relative safety of Nicole's farm. With the category 5 hurricane's winds still raging, floodwaters rising, power out and a generator very low on gas, a very pregnant elephant, and dangerous circus animals on the loose around the farm, there is still danger to face. The events presented take place in just under five hours. Listeners should be familiar with the first title in order to understand this action-packed sequel. Without the added sound effects of the earlier volume, Ramon de Ocampo must rely solely on pacing and voicing to fully express the intensity, fear, and heart-pounding peril. While this is met with uneven success, listeners will be able to visualize the action portrayed and will be on the edge of their seats. The tale ends with a satisfying cliffhanger, leaving listeners waiting for the next installment.—Stephanie A. Squicciarini, Fairport Public Library, NY

School Library Journal - Audio

Praise for STORM RUNNERS: THE SURGE
“This slice of natural disaster…offers nary a dull moment. A high-velocity page-turner…” –KIRKUS REVIEWS

From the Publisher

It's been just twelve hours since Chase, Nicole, and Rashawn boarded their school bus, only to narrowly escape death as Hurricane Emily hit. This second volume of the "Storm Runners" trilogy picks up right where the first, Storm Runners, leaves off. Intrepid Chase and his friends have managed to make it to Nicole's family farm, which happens to be the winter home of the Rossi Brothers' Circus. The dark barn they're sheltering in as the hurricane continues to rage also contains a pregnant elephant, due to give birth at any moment. Chase and Nicole volunteer to go outside to get gas to power the lights, despite the rising water and the other circus animals roaming around. These include a dangerous leopard and several lions who have escaped their cages. Meanwhile, Chase's father, John, a storm chaser accompanied by a TV news crew, is desperately trying to reach Chase, and John's adventures are related in alternate chapters. Nonstop action and ever-present danger makes this a sure bet for middle school-aged readers who have read the first volume. It's a swift and exciting read, with appeal to reluctant readers. Reviewer: Paula Rohrlick

Children's Literature - Paula Rohrlick

Family members separated in a Florida hurricane struggle to get back together, but the waters are rising fast and big cats are on the loose in this sequel to Storm Runners (2011).

Taking up the action exactly where the previous episode left off, stranded teenagers Chase and Nicole leave the (supposed) safety of the circus barn to fetch gas for the sputtering generator—only to run into an escaped lion and, later, a very aggressive leopard. Meanwhile, Chase's father and a TV news crew face flooding territory and multiple other serious dangers as they make their way toward the young folks' refuge. Though the characters show a remarkable ability to carry on conversations in normal tones of voice amid howling winds and flying debris, the action never lags. As the two parties draw toward an eventual reunion Smith's habit of switching his very short chapters back and forth on cliffhangers becomes more a suspense builder than the distraction it was in the opener. Nearly devoid of references to previous events and closing on game-changing news that will be sending the central cast on an emergency mission to Mexico in the next episode, this slice of natural disaster isn't exactly freestanding, but it definitely offers nary a dull moment.

A high-velocity page-turner, for all that it's only a segment of a larger arc. (Adventure. 11-13)

Kirkus Reviews