Tornado!
(April 18, 2006 )
On April 18, 1880, Missouri was hit by a deadly string of tornadoes. One hundred fifty-one people were killed across the state, ninety-nine of them in Marshfield. Tornado season 2006 is upon us, and already this season we have had over five hundred tornadoes in the United States and close to two hundred in Missouri. Volunteer Coordinator Deborah Stroup has compiled this list of fiction and nonfiction books from the Wolfner collection about tornadoes that you might be interested in, including some for younger readers.
To order any of these titles, contact the library by email, mail or phone. You may also request these titles online through our OPAC. Happy Reading!
The Breathtaker by Alice Blanchard.
RC 57636.
Oklahoma. In the aftermath of a devastating twister, widowed police chief Charlie Grover discovers the bodies of three apparent tornado victims. When autopsies reveal foul play, Charlie, aided by storm-chasing specialist Willa Bellman, races to stop a killer using cyclones to camouflage murder. Violence, strong language, and some explicit descriptions of sex.
Extreme Weather: A Guide & Record Book by Christopher C. Burt; with cartography by Mark Stroud.
BR 15936.
Meteorologist surveys the nature and history of extreme weather phenomena in the United States and abroad. Offers concise explanations of such climatic events as droughts, floods, thunderstorms, hail, tornadoes, hurricanes, and fog. Provides temperature and precipitation records for more than three hundred United States cities dating back to the 1800s.
Heavy Weather by Bruce Sterling.
RC 42068.
In the year 2031, the cumulative effects of global pollution and ecological breakdown have distorted weather patterns. A disparate group of tornado freaks calling themselves the Storm Troupe track a series of ever bigger killer tornadoes across the Texas plains. As they wait to "bear witness" to "the big one," they not only face danger, but must overcome their own personal conflicts to keep their band together. Strong language.
In Time of Emergency, A Citizen’s Handbook from FEMA.
BR 5497, RC 20015.
A concise handbook designed to provide individuals and families with information on enhancing the chances of survival in the event of a natural or man-made disaster. Includes instructions regarding floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, winter storms, earthquakes, tidal waves, fire, and nuclear accidents.
Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers by Ralph Moody.
RC 43671.
This account of roundups and auctions, irrigation wars, tornadoes, and family life depicts Western farm life through the eyes of an eight-year-old boy. In 1906 young Ralph Moody and his family moved from New Hampshire to a Colorado ranch. Because of his father’s failing health, much of the ranch work fell to Ralph. Moody family biography series, book 1. Series code MFB.
Nature at War by Hal Butler.
RC 15280.
Accounts of thirteen devastating natural disasters which hit the United States and the Caribbean. Includes earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, blizzards, tornadoes, and floods.
Rude Behavior by Dan Jenkins.
RC 49172.
Billy Clyde Puckett, former football halfback and now bored TV sports commentator, returns to Fort Worth, Texas. Bankrolled by his father-in-law, Puckett gains the NFL franchise for the West Texas Tornadoes and starts putting a team together, while his wife is making a movie in Switzerland. Strong language. Billy Clyde Puckett series, book 3. Series code PBC.
The Storm Season by William Hauptman.
RC 35656.
Burl Drennan returns to his small hometown, Nortex, Texas, after his rock group fails. His life falls into a routine when he begins work as a railroad man. It takes a tornado to shake up not only Burl, but his brother, his parents, and the other Nortex people as well. Burl keeps the excitement alive by tracking and chasing tornadoes as he and his friends contemplate their futures. Strong language, explicit descriptions of sex, and some violence.
The Tornado by John Edward Weems.
RC 16205.
Eyewitness accounts of a devastating tornado that hit Waco, Texas in 1953. Reporter Weems also weaves a tale about the causes and bizarre behavior of tornadoes, a brief history of their most notorious appearances, and a survey of recent developments in tornado detection systems.
The Tornado: Nature’s Ultimate Windstorm by Thomas P. Grazulis.
RC 53599.
Meteorologist and researcher of weather phenomena describes the formation, forecasting, history, and science of the tornado life cycle. Recounts personal anecdotes, common myths, and puzzling elements of human interaction with this incredible and unpredictable force.
Tornado Watch Number 211 by John Grant Fuller.
BR 7385.
Account of the damage twenty-eight tornadoes spawned in a four-and-a-half-hour period on May 31, 1985, in western Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio. With winds up to three hundred miles per hour, seventy-five people were killed and more than a thousand were injured. Entire towns were flattened, creating scenes of horror and destruction.
Twister by Jack M. Bickham.
RC 11150.
Disaster epic that examines the lives of people caught up in the consequences of a twister. The character’s lives are not the same having faced the whirling horror of a tornado. Some strong language.
Twister by John Lantigua.
BR 9502.
An oil town gone bust, Paradise, Texas, has been all but taken over by a preacher who can recognize the devil because he himself has committed every sin except murder. When a Paradise attorney is attacked by a weapon out of the Bible, New York magazine writer Edward Thomas decides this is the story that will end his two-month slump. His investigation is helped along by a local journalist, a blacklisted teacher, and a tornado. Some violence.
For Younger Readers:
Can It Rain Cats and Dogs?: Questions and Answers About Weather by Melvin and Gilda Berger.
RC 59637.
Answers such questions as these: What makes the weather? Does air have weight? How big are hailstones? and What is El Niño? Explains the effects of sun, air, and wind; the creation of rain, snow, and hail; and wild weather like thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes. For grades 3-6.
Can It Really Rain Frogs? by Spencer Christian and Antonia Felix.
RC 48095.
Weather is the sum of the outdoor conditions occurring daily. The authors discuss clouds, wind, rain, thunder and lightning, and hurricanes and tornadoes; answer questions like the one in the title; and present experiments, such as making a rain gauge and creating static electricity. For grades 4-7.
Do Tornadoes Really Twist? by Melvin and Gilda Berger.
RC 56828.
Provides answers to a variety of questions about these violent storms--causes, effects, and when and where they occur. Includes information on safety measures to take when these weather conditions are predicted. For grades 3-6.
One Day in the Prairie by Jean Craighead George.
RC 26136.
Describes how the plants, animals, and insects of the prairie sense a coming tornado and excitedly prepare to avoid its destruction. For grades 2-4.
The Storm by Marc Harshman.
RC 42144.
When Jonathan’s teacher talks about what to do in a tornado, a classmate remarks that a big storm would be really scary for Jonathan because he is in a wheelchair. But Jonathan isn’t afraid of storms, he loves them. Alone on the farm that afternoon, Jonathan gets a chance to show he knows how to handle a tornado. For grades K-3.
Storms by Melvin Berger.
BR 1660.
Explains thunder and lightning, hail, rain, snow, and wind-storms and uses familiar household examples to illustrate scientific principles involved. Safety precautions for electrical storms are included. For grades 2-5.
Storms by Ray Broekel.
BR 5424.
Describes the weather conditions that produce storms and the damage that can be done by rain, snow, wind, dust, ice, thunder, lightning, and hail. For grades 2-4.
Tornado by Betsy Cromer Byars.
RC 45736.
Seeking shelter from an approaching tornado, a farm family retreats to the storm cellar. To distract the children from the danger outside, farmhand Pete regales the group with tales from his boyhood about a marvelous dog named Tornado, who could do card tricks and more. For grades 2-4.
Twister on Tuesday by Mary Pope Osborne.
BR 14357, RC 54852.
When Jack and Annie travel back to the Kansas prairie at the time of the earliest railroad trains, they discover the hardships of the pioneers. And they experience the terror of a tornado. For grades 2-4. Magic Tree House series, book 23. Series code MTH.
Wild about Weather: Fifty Wet, Windy & Wonderful Activities by Ed Brotak.
RC 60799.
Dr. Ed discusses Earth’s atmosphere, the seasons, wind, humidity, clouds, thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, weather forecasting, and the history of weather observation. Includes activities to explore these topics, step-by-step experiments, and projects such as making a barometer, thermometer, wind vane, or weather log. For grades 4-7.