Night of the Twisters

by Ivy Ruckman

Book Overview

Tornado Alert! Tornado Alert! Tornado alert! Tornado alert! just seconds after the announcement, the radio is dead, the lights go out, and the only sound in the unnaturally quiet night is the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0064401766
• ISBN13: 9780064401760
• Release Date: December 2003
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.1" x 7.5"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Remembered for years

I read this book 15 years ago and still remember it to this day. It has all the elements of a good story. It is exciting, thrilling, nerve-racking, and fun all rolled into one. It is very hard to put this book down. It is an engaging read for tweens, and an easy mindless read for adults. Both audiences will be on the edge of their seats. Makes me dream about tornadoes.

One of my favorites!

This book is EXCELLENT, and not just for kids. And personally I think it's one of the scariest books I've ever read. Basically a 12 year old boy is home alone ona stormy night with his best friend and his baby brother when a twister hits, completely destroying their house and their entire neighborhood.

it's still a good book after all these years!!!!

My cousin had this book a long time ago, and about 6 or 7 years ago, when I was like,, 11 or 12, he gave my mom a big box of all these books he didn't read anymore, and this book was in that box... My mom just put the box in my closet, and of course I could care less about books, at age 11 it was just SEGA SEGA SEGA!! (it was 95-96, the time when Sega Genesis ruled the world... :) ahh good times!) but one night when i couldnt sleep i decided to look through the box just for curiousity, and i spotted this book... I was always kind of interested in tornadoes, so the title "Night of the Twisters" really caught my attention... so I started to read it... and well,, I'd say that I read it about 15 billion more times, and to this day, when I am now 20,, I still read it a lot, and every time I read it it still feels like the first time.. It's an incredible story on how Dan Hatch struggles to stay alive in that basement, and then does everything he can to find his parents again after the storm... it's really amazing.. There was also a movie made based on this book- I saw it once, it was ok, nothing that great, it kind of changed the story a bit. Stick with the bookAmazing book,, I never thought I would still love to read it 7 years after I found it!!!

An excellent book for kids!!

12-year-old Dan Hatch, his best friend Arthur, and baby brother Ryan are home alone when a devasting tornado strikes! This story focuses on the devastation and destruction of a tornado, the main characters' strength and will to live through disaster, and it also stresses the importance of having strong famiily bonds to get throgh tough times. After the tornado hits, Dan & his friends realize that they're on their own for survival...and yet they help free an elderly resident who's trapped in her home. Later on in the novel, the main characters each get the chance to show the reader their feelings and concerns about what has happened to their families and homes, and the doubts of whether they will fully recover. As a fourth-grader, my parents gave this book to me for Christmas. It sat on my desk unused for a while, but then one night while my parents were having company, I decided to go to my room and read. I vividly remember that once I started this book, I could not put it down, and I read it straight through in one night. I have since read it dozens of times even as an adult, and I have also seen the movie (which is badly written and not at all true to the story). This book has single-handedly inspired my interest in tornadoes and severe weather. My recommendation? If you've got an older child--boy OR girl--who likes to read good adventures, BUY THIS ONE!! By the way, the story is a fictional account but was inspired by actual events on June 3, 1980, when seven deadly tornadoes hit Grand Island, Nebraska, in a three-hour period.

Reader's First Critique!

Ms. Ivy Ruckman has done a wonderful job with this book. This book is great to read because it is full of suspense. You are always on your toes waiting and anticipating what will happen next. Although, i don't read books often, this is one I would recommend for people who enjoy reading about natural disasters. This book is based on a natural disaster which happened back on June 3, 1980. The story is mostly about three children who are trying to make it through a series of tornadoes which hit several towns in Nebraska. To me the main themes of the book is to prepare for unsuspected disasters, and that support from family and friends will keep everyone together. I hope people who read this will buy this book and read it because of what I have been explaining what the book is about. *If you are wondering what or where is Guam?* Guam is a territory of the U.S.A.. Which is located 14 degrees North latitude and 144 degrees East longitude.

EXCELLENT NOVEL!

I read this book when I was in the 4th grade, and it sparked my undying interest in tornadoes. The story revolves around 12-year-old Dan Hatch, his baby brother, Ryan, and Dan's best friend, Arthur, who are home alone when a devasting tornado sweeps through town. Not only does it capture the terror of a devasting natural disaster from a child's point of view. This book also touches a nerve by exploring issues of sibling rivalry, the difficulties that sometimes occur with change in a family, and the importance of friends helping friends. The overall theme in this book is that people need to have a plan of action for such disasters, and it also touches on the fact that, though we all have our disagreements, strong families can draw support from God, one another, and friends, and use that support to overcome the obstacles created by the disaster. Also, this book touches on how we tend to take things for granted, until we suddenly don't have them anymore. All in all, an excellent read for your older children. The best part is that, though the characters are fictional, the events are real. The book is based on the events of June 3, 1980, when seven tornadoes blew threw the town of Grand Island, Nebraska in just three hours, leaving utter devastation in their wake. PARENTAL ADVISORY: Due to some realistic depictions of events surrounding a natural disaster, this book may not be suitable for your younger children. It's OK for any kid who's 4th grade or higher.