From the beautiful cover to the last page, this novel in verse was an easy book to fly through and come back and read parts again to really understand what the protagonist is feeling and experiencing after natural disaster caused her and everyone she loves to rebuild their coastal town from the ground up.

I’m sure you’ve probably heard the saying “time heals all wounds”. I personally would have to take up argument with that as humans have nervous systems and brains that hold memory and trauma . Don’t Call Me a Hurricane is a prime example of time not being a healer of wounds, as Eliza and her family and town are five years out from the hurricane that ravaged their lives, and they are still dealing with the aftermath. Eliza, in particular, shares how she still remembers the days surrounding the disaster and how terrified she was of losing her home, her family, and maybe even her life.

Eliza is used to having tourists and rich folks summer in her hometown, and it’s clear that she sees a divide between herself and them. She is passionate about the ocean and keeping it clean, and nurturing the land that was almost lost in the hurricane, and the people who come to vacation and then go back to their lives somewhere else just don’t seem to get it. Making the situation worse is the fact that the land Eliza views as precious is being bought up by contractors to be developed into extravagant mansions for the summer vacationers to buy.

Of course, what would a summery YA book be without a little romance and heartbreak, right? Enter Milo, a boy Eliza has no desire to get to know. He’s one of the dreaded summer tourists and she really can’t relate to him or the kids he hangs out with. Eliza’s group of friends is eager to teach him how to surf and maybe help her open her mind up to having a new friend, but Eliza just can’t get past the fact that he lives a completely different lifestyle most of the year. Then Eliza finds out a little bit more about Milo, something he didn’t want any of them to know, and it might just change the whole course of her summer.

Overall, this was a deep book about trauma and how events that happened in the past can impact our lives even years down the road. I thought it was important that Eliza was a teen having all of these complex feelings about her life and family and the hurricane that almost swept it all away. I think this is a book that a lot of young readers will relate to and find easy to read and comprehend!

Review of a Digital Advanced Reader’s Copy from Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language: 1 religious exclamation; 1 mild obscenity; 1 derogatory name; 1 anatomical term.

Violence/Gore: A girl recalls a hurricane and the damage it did to homes and how traumatic it was to go through; a girl describes what it was like to anticipate an oncoming storm and try to prepare; a brief scene occurs where a group of minors graffiti a house that is being built; a minor experiences flashbacks of her life when she experienced flooding and a hurricane several times throughout the book; a brief report is made of a minor that was caught in floodwaters of hurricane and sustained a head injury, there are a few brief moments that are descriptive of how terrifying it was for those seeing what was happening and trying to help.

Sex/Nudity: A girl talks about having a first kiss and making out; a brief conversation about sexuality and sexual identity is had between friends; a boy’s hair is referred to as sexy; a brief scene occurs where a boy and girl share first kiss; a girl kisses her friend on the cheek and says “I love you”; a boy makes a romantic speech to a girl he likes, they kiss; a brief scene occurs of a boy and girl kissing; a boy and girl undress down to their underwear and go swimming in the ocean in a brief scene; a boy and girl are dressed in their swimsuits but decide to take a shower together and the boy asks if he can wash her hair.

Mature Subject Matter:

Trauma; traumatic events; vandalism; natural disasters.

Alcohol/Drug Use:

A minor is mentioned to seem either drunk or high; minors are mentioned to drink at a party; adults drink wine.