Also from Pelican . . . Book #4
Hattie is thrilled when her friend Eric Siegen and his family invite her to accompany them on their trip to Grand Isle and New Orleans. She is amazed by all the wonders around her -- sailing the Gulf of Mexico, porpoises, an elegant cathedral, and sweet beignets.
As they join Tom Guidroz, a young local, on a treasure hunt near Jean Lafitte's old fort on a barrier island, Tom's attitude and the weather become unpredictable. When an unexpected hurricane strikes the coastline, they learn that there are some things more precious than gold.
I planned on using Hattie Marshall and The Hurricane with my gifted third graders as their first novel during a unit on Louisiana and weather. Little did I know that we would have our own, live-hurricane adventure with Katrina just one week after school started. After a five week "break" from our evacutaed Jefferson Parish school, and a return to a city that was badly damaged, I questioned the practicalities of continuing with my plans to use this novel in the classroom. After careful consideration, I decided to go ahead with my plans.
That was one of the best things I could have done as we all continued to get our lives back together and develop a sense of normalcy. This novel, with its multi-faceted characters and vivid descriptions, provided us with a springboard to talk not only about Hattie's experiences, but also about our own. We were able to share our fears of the storm, our anger over losing possessions, and our gratefulness at surviving. In addition, this novel provided us with an opportunity to compare and contrast the Hurricane of 1893 with our own devastating storm - Hurricane Katrina. We were also able to acknowledge all of the wondeful people who helped us during our evacuation - people who made our situation a litte more bearable. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who has students affected by a major hurricane, as well as anyone who follows the news, yet is unable to imagine the destruction and heroism that these horrific storms bring.
~Traci Vedros
3rd grade gifted teacher
Metairie Academy for Advanced Studies
