Escaping Tornado Season: A Story in Poems

Reader reviewed by Jamie

Poems describe how thirteen-year-old Allie, living with her grandparents in a small Minnesota town in the 1960s, struggles to cope with her father's recent death, being abandoned by her mother, and trying to fit in at school

This is such a great book I'm sure I'll be reading it alot!!!

Reader reviewed by Ria

Escaping Tornado Season is story in poems. Its about Allie, a girl whose father just died. Allie moves from Nebraska, where her father lived, to Minnesota, where her maternal grandparents live. After she is moved, her mother disappears for some time, without any word and Allie believes that her mother isnt coming back. The same thing happened when her twin brother, Tuck, died.

Allie gets used to her new environment. She is given a kitten as a gift by Joey Redfern. When she starts her new school, she sees that Joey is in her class. But its hard for Allie to make friends. But one day, Allie meets a Native American girl who makes an impact on her. Lidia White Cloud and Allie become friends immediately.

One day, in school, their teacher Mr. Borden abuses Lidia and she never comes back again. Allie decides to take action and writes a letter, which gets him fired. Allie finds out why Lidia wont come back; shes pregnant. Slowly, Allie and Joey develop a friendship that leads into romance.

Allies mother comes back, but Allie doesnt warm up to her. Her mother just causes more problems for her, like her disapproval of Allie going out with a Native American boy. Then, someone says something to her, which makes her rethink her relationship with Joey.

In the end, things work out right for Allie. She starts to mend broken relationships and accepts the situations that life deals her. And throughout everything, she never forgets the past.

Escaping Tornado Season was one of the best books I have ever read. The themes in this book are so profound. The book had a mix of everything: history, a light romance. I never expected to enjoy a book written in poems as I did with this book. I strongly recommend this book.

Reader reviewed by Kris

Escaping Tornado Season is both a heart breaking and heart warming story told in poems. It is about a teenager named Allie, whose twin brother died at a young age. Her mother is rarely around, and she's at an important stage of her life where she should be discovering her true self. This story has a swarm of relationships that develop, including that of Allie with her mother, grandparents, Lidia White Cloud, and Joey Redfern. All of these relations are questioned, adding to the plot and interest of the novel. I really enjoyed this book, especially as it was told from Allies point of view. She doesnt live in some perfect world, as most of us wish for, and she is constantly struggling. Her want to fit in helps you relate to her, because most of us feel that way at some point. Williams even mixes in a little romance and some history, which adds so much to the story. As I love poems anyway, I found this to be a perfect book. However, even people who despise poems will find themselves attracted and drawn into Allies story. The only downfall was that some parts tended to be confusing. Overall, Id rate this 4½ out of 5 stars.