Eye of the Storm

March 15, 2017
A high-altitude drone built for the Air Force is repurposed to investigate hurricane behavior in a NASA-sponsored project headquartered at Wallops Island, Virginia.This latest title in a long-running series looks at cutting-edge meteorological research with implications for the billions of people around the world who live in the paths of tropical cyclones. Opening with a chapter about the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, it goes on to explain hurricane formation and NASA's Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel mission. Cherrix introduces the Global Hawk drone project and describes preparations for a sample flight over the intensifying Hurricane Edouard in 2014. Finally she shows how another tropical storm, the 1970 Bhola cyclone in the Indian Ocean, led to the creation of a new nation, Bangladesh. This is real science, which, as the author points out, takes time--time to amass and analyze data and then to submit and have it vetted before publication. But it doesn't make for very compelling reading. Readers drawn in by the dramatic cover and opening description of a tragic teen death as a result of Hurricane Sandy may get bogged down in the scientific and engineering detail, which uses appropriate but unfamiliar technical terms and acronyms, defined in context but hard to remember. They may struggle to keep straight the many scientists involved. Suggest to able teen readers who already have the appropriate background knowledge. (hurricane preparedness, glossary, chapter notes, index) (Nonfiction. 14-18)

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May 1, 2017

Gr 4-7-Opening with a tragic anecdote about a Staten Island family displaced and disrupted by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the narrative quickly shifts to its central topic, the physics of hurricane formation and the research being done at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, located on the eastern shore of Virginia. Though the story is occasionally unfocused, the bulk of the text outlines efforts to improve understanding of a hurricane's early stages using data gathered by a Global Hawk drone, a demonstration aircraft retired from the U.S. Air Force. Personal profiles of many of the scientists detail training and interests and offer a window into the life of a researcher. Much information is provided about the aircraft's instrumentation, the work of the meteorologists on the ground, and the slow-paced "office work" of operating the drone from a computer at the Virginia facility. Edifying sidebars examine tangential topics such as the ecology of nearby Chincoteague Island, the backgrounds of NASA meteorologists, and the different flight patterns of the drone. A closing chapter gives overviews of other cyclonic storms in recent history and suggests implications for the research in a broader context. The volume is abundantly illustrated with photos of the research facility, the equipment, and the people who use and maintain it, as well as with numerous maps, charts, and other graphics. VERDICT Well researched and engagingly written, this is an occasionally fascinating entry on hurricane prediction for middle schoolers. Robust science collections should consider.-Bob Hassett, Luther Jackson Middle School, Falls Church, VA

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2017
Grades 5-8 Cyclonic storms command awe with their destructive power and sprawling size, but there is still much to learn about how they form. This entry in the acclaimed Scientists in the Field series takes readers to the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, where a team of meteorologists, physicists, and engineers attempts to better understand the nature of hurricanes, both for the sake of scientific knowledge and for improved storm predictions to keep people safe. Flanked by tragic accounts of Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Katrina, and the Bhola cyclone, Cherrix relates the 2014 HS3 (Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel) mission to fly a drone above Tropical Storm Edouard to collect detailed data about hurricane formation. Hurricane anatomy and scientific explanations are punctuated by profiles of HS3 team members, who include pilots who remotely fly the equipment-laden Global Hawk drone. Occasionally complex scientific concepts are relayed too succinctly and lack clarity, but the team's mission unfolds in such a gripping fashion that readers will be hooked. This book will be particularly eye-opening to those with an interest in severe weather.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2017
When thirteen-year-old Angela Dresch walks out on the Staten Island Beach on the afternoon of October 29, 2012, neither she nor readers know that in a few hours she will be one of the 53 people in New York who lost their lives to Hurricane Sandy. Because Sandy was designated a (seemingly innocent) Category 1 hurricane, it lulled thousands of individuals into complacent decisions to ride out the storm in their own homes. Beginning the book with this singular human tragedy introduces and personalizes the work of scientists located on Wallops Island, Virginia, trying to understand and forecast a storm's intensity in order to create maximum time to inform at-risk residents if or when they need to evacuate. Cherrix provides clear and informative background on storm formation before turning to a 2014 mission in which NASA pilots, operating the Global Hawk drone, photograph and release sensors transmitting information from a developing storm off the coast of Africa to data interpreters thousands of miles away in Virginia. Biographical information on a variety of scientists, ranging from meteorologists to aeronautical engineers, creates a number of entry points for potential readers. A final, slightly rushed chapter points out the political consequences of the 1970 cyclone in the Bay of Bengal and 2005's Hurricane Katrina, then concludes with a remembrance service for Angela Dresch, bringing the book full circle. Appended with instructions on how to prepare for hurricanes, a glossary, recommended further reading and websites, a bibliography, and an index. betty carter

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2017
Cherrix introduces and personalizes the work of scientists on Wallops Island, Virginia, trying to understand and forecast a storm's intensity to offer maximum time for residents to evacuate. The text provides clear and informative background; biographical information on a variety of scientists, ranging from meteorologists to aeronautical engineers, creates a number of entry points for potential readers. Reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)