Monday, February 19, 2018

Middle Grade Monday: Saint Louis Armstrong Beach by Brenda Woods


Saint Louis Armstrong Beach by Brenda Woods. 136 p. Nancy Paulson Books/ Penguin Young Readers Group, September, 2011. 9780399255076. (own)

In the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina, readers get to know eleven-year-old Saint Louis Armstrong Beach. He's a confident kid who lives with his parents in the Tremé section of New Orleans. He's also an accomplished clarinetist who often busks for cash. He doesn't think this hurricane is going to be a big deal. Just as he's about to evacuate the city, Shadow, the neighborhood dog runs off and Saint decides to go looking for him, becoming trapped as the storm surges.

Saint is an engaging narrator. His heart is in the right place and he loves his city and its denizens. Suspense ratchets up as the levees break and Saint has to think quick if he's to save Shadow and his neighbor. 

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