Reviewed by Dianna Geers for TeensReadToo.com
Casey is the Senior Patrol leader of his Boy Scout troop, and they are about to hike and stay in a remote area in their native land of Hawaii. This place had been almost completely wiped out from a long-ago volcanic eruption, but there is a small oasis of quiet beauty in the area that remained. That's where the boys will be camping.
Casey is not excited when a tough boy named Louie shows up. He's not a Scout, but his Scoutmaster invited him along to see if he would be interested in joining. He makes Casey uncomfortable, but there's nothing he can do about it. And Casey only thinks that having Louie on his case constantly is the biggest thing he has to worry about on that trip.
Until it hits. "It" is an actual event that happened in this same area in 1975. An earthquake, which causes part of the land to collapse into the ocean, and that also causes a tsunami that covers the sunken land with water beyond belief. Palm trees, under which some of his troop had been sleeping, stand in the middle of the ocean. He doesn't know where anyone is, if they are okay, or if he will survive himself.
Graham Salisbury's cousin was a Scout who happened to be on just such a trip with his troop when the historical tsunami hit. He took the author to the land many years later. The detailed descriptions of the events and setting could only be told by an excellent storyteller and someone who truly experienced this unbelievable event. This is a great adventure of survival and a coming-of-age story.
Casey is the Senior Patrol leader of his Boy Scout troop, and they are about to hike and stay in a remote area in their native land of Hawaii. This place had been almost completely wiped out from a long-ago volcanic eruption, but there is a small oasis of quiet beauty in the area that remained. That's where the boys will be camping.
Casey is not excited when a tough boy named Louie shows up. He's not a Scout, but his Scoutmaster invited him along to see if he would be interested in joining. He makes Casey uncomfortable, but there's nothing he can do about it. And Casey only thinks that having Louie on his case constantly is the biggest thing he has to worry about on that trip.
Until it hits. "It" is an actual event that happened in this same area in 1975. An earthquake, which causes part of the land to collapse into the ocean, and that also causes a tsunami that covers the sunken land with water beyond belief. Palm trees, under which some of his troop had been sleeping, stand in the middle of the ocean. He doesn't know where anyone is, if they are okay, or if he will survive himself.
Graham Salisbury's cousin was a Scout who happened to be on just such a trip with his troop when the historical tsunami hit. He took the author to the land many years later. The detailed descriptions of the events and setting could only be told by an excellent storyteller and someone who truly experienced this unbelievable event. This is a great adventure of survival and a coming-of-age story.
Last fall I picked this book up at the school book fair, at a discounted price, but I thought it sounded interesting. This weekend, I picked the book off the shelf and sat down for a few minutes and read the book. Just a quick read.
I loved the story. I loved how it was based on actual events that really occurred, although the dialogue and story are fiction, the camp out, the earthquake and the original people are all real. maybe it was the fact that the author was related to one of the original people in the event, but he was able to wind a story around this event, but he was able to build up the story, give us a glimpse into the lives of some boys and the Boy Scout Troop on the Island, some history and beliefs of the original island people, and wind all that around to the event. It was not the center stage moment, it just was something that occurred and changed everything they thought and how they acted, but without the front story you wouldn't get how much it changed the lives of the people involved. It was just a well-told story that made you want to know what happened, made you want to root for the underdog, and to hold your breathe till the end!
I loved the book. I am so glad I picked it up. I originally got it for my son, but I am going to have my daughter's read it also. I think the story is well worth all kids reading and realizing that life is bigger than you or me, and that petty differences have to be put aside sometimes and we have to work together for the good of the team at times.
I loved the story. I loved how it was based on actual events that really occurred, although the dialogue and story are fiction, the camp out, the earthquake and the original people are all real. maybe it was the fact that the author was related to one of the original people in the event, but he was able to wind a story around this event, but he was able to build up the story, give us a glimpse into the lives of some boys and the Boy Scout Troop on the Island, some history and beliefs of the original island people, and wind all that around to the event. It was not the center stage moment, it just was something that occurred and changed everything they thought and how they acted, but without the front story you wouldn't get how much it changed the lives of the people involved. It was just a well-told story that made you want to know what happened, made you want to root for the underdog, and to hold your breathe till the end!
I loved the book. I am so glad I picked it up. I originally got it for my son, but I am going to have my daughter's read it also. I think the story is well worth all kids reading and realizing that life is bigger than you or me, and that petty differences have to be put aside sometimes and we have to work together for the good of the team at times.
